Access to critical patient information at the bedside

From the investigation: Access to critical patient information at the bedside

Recommendation date:

Safety recommendation

HSIB recommends that NHS England assesses the priority, feasibility, and impact of future research into what and how critical information pertaining to the emergency care of patients in the acute hospital setting can be readily and reliably accessed at a patient’s bedside.

Response:

This safety recommendation will be considered through NHS England’s established research commissioning routes with the aim of developing practical and deliverable research that will provide decision makers with the needed evidence to improve patient safety.

Actions planned to deliver safety recommendation:

  1. An initial assessment of the evidence base, to determine what is already known about this issue and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders to develop research question(s) which addresses the gap in evidence highlighted by the report - March to May 2023. This in-depth review of the current evidence base may identify that existing research studies already address the evidence gap/question and therefore there may be no need for further primary research.
  2. If there is a need for research, request for policy research will be submitted to NHS England’s Research Needs Panel (RNP) by July 2023. The RNP is NHS England’s in-house process to review, agree and prioritise policy research needs for formal submission to the DHSC Research and Development Committee. The panel is made up of representatives from all Directorates of NHS England.
  3. Any policy research requirements emerging from this HSIB report will be submitted to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Research & Development Committee for consideration in October 2023. If prioritised by the Committee, the requirement will be progressed by DHSC Science Research & Evidence colleagues for potential commissioning via the NIHR Policy Research Programme.

Actions planned:

  1. Initial topic assessment and developing research questions during March-May 2023.
  2. Submit a request for policy research to NHS England's Research Needs Panel (NRP) by July 2023.
  3. Research request considered by the DHSC R&D committee. If prioritised by the Committee, the research request is progressed by DHSC Senior Research & Evidence department, from October 2023 onwards.

Response received on 13 June 2023.

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