Abstracts

Since the late 1990[apos]s audit has gained considerable importance and is now a necessary component in the efficient planning and delivery of care to patients. We identified several issues which needed to be resolved before introducing a unique electronic patient record (EPR) system. An audit of 10 adult neurology clinics ( with a particular emphasis on epilepsy) over a 3 month period in a Dublin hospital was undertaken. Apart from basic demographic details, specific record was taken of diagnosis, waiting time and intellectual development. In a subset of patients, (20% of return epilepsy patients) appointment patterns, drug levels and educational issues relating to epilepsy were further evaluated Main results show that 85% of [apos]new[apos] patients seen in the clinic had established epilepsy and these new patients waited on average 17 months for an appointment. The actual time waited in the clinic was 90 minutes.
Of the 25% of patients who had blood tests carried out, only 20% had any comment or intervention on the result recorded on the following out patient visit.
It was documented in 80% of charts that current driving regulations were discussed with the patient. The risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) was not documented as being discussed in any of the charts biopsied. The results of the study allow us to plan for various modules prior to the introduction of the EPR which may improve the efficiency of the clinic for example scheduling specific times for patients to reduce waiting times and integration with the hospital system laboratory results to avoid duplication of blood tests.