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1526 Primary Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Documentation: Do Our Operation Notes Follow New GIRFT/BOA Guidelines? A Closed Loop Audit


 
 
 Operation notes provide essential information about the techniques and implants used in surgery. Accurate documentation is important to improve patient outcomes and reduce rising litigation costs within the NHS. The aim of this audit was to assess compliance to recent guidance for hip and knee arthroplasty documentation, issued by the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme in 2019.
 
 
 
 Data was collected retrospectively from operation notes of all primary total/unicompartmental knee and hip arthroplasties during August 2019 and again in October 2019 at a DGH. Documentation was audited against data items from the GIRFT knee and hip arthroplasty ‘best practice’ guidelines. Interventions between timeframes included clinician education and a discussion of the guidelines between local surgeons.
 
 
 
 In audit rounds 1 and 2 twenty-six and 34 patients had THRs and 23 and 28 had knee arthroplasties respectively. 100% compliance was seen in 5/23 THR criteria and 9/27 knee criteria. Average compliance for knee documentation rose from 71% to 74% but no improvement was seen for THR (68% vs 64%). Those with least improvement related to assessment of range of movement and vascular status at the end of surgery.
 
 
 
 Although compliance was good against the majority of data points there was minimal change following a local education intervention. The development and use of fully compliant departmental operation note templates would provide further clarity about steps performed and surgeon rationale should patient care later be scrutinised. The template would also act as an invaluable educational tool for trainees reflecting on the case.
