Improving inpatient awareness of their named consultant on a medical ward: a quality improvement project using PDSA cycles

1. Introduction

Clear identification of the responsible consultant is essential for safe inpatient care. This quality improvement project used two PDSA cycles to improve patient awareness of their named consultant on a medical ward, achieving a sustained improvement through improved bedside signage and standardised ward-round introductions. Informal feedback from patients and ward staff suggested that many inpatients were unaware of who their named consultant was, leading to confusion and difficulty escalating concerns. 

2. Method

My quality improvement project used ‘Plan Do Study Act’ (PDSA) methodology. Baseline data was collected via direct survey of eligible inpatients (n=22), excluding those lacking capacity or too unwell to participate. Patients were asked whether they knew their named consultant and to state their name. This was compared to their bedside boards, and the EPR record of their named consultant. 

PDSA cycle 1 involved daily updating of bedside boards, with responsibility clarified during board rounds. PDSA cycle 2 introduced a standardised script during ward rounds, reinforced by resident doctors and documented in patient notes. We introduced ourselves as ‘Doctor X, I work with your medical consultant, Doctor Y’. 

3. Results

Baseline awareness was zero, some patients could recall their consultants but drew a blank on names. PDSA cycle 1 resulted in a modest improvement, limited by inconsistent board updates and delays in updating EPR for new patents. Following PDSA cycle 2, awareness increased further, with an overall absolute improvement of approximately 30%, approaching the target of ≥80%.  

4. Conclusion(s)

To conclude, these simple interventions significantly improved patient awareness of their named consultant. Patients knew who was responsible for their care whilst they remained on the ward, and a key NHS target was improved on.