Authors (including presenting author) :
Kwan YL(1), Ng Patricia(1), Lam C W(1), Li W C(1) , Antony Lui(2), Anthony Tse(2), Vicky Ip(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Central Nursing Division, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
(2) Administrative Services Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Introduction :
All patient information, in any form, must be treated with the strictest confidence and protected by all practicable measures during patient transfers. Staff handling personal data should be aware of the provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap 486) and should be mindful of their responsibilities under that Ordinance. As a general practice, only the unit staff involved in patient’s healthcare process are permitted access to the patient's information on a need-to-know basis. Staff must not allow other patients or unauthorized persons to access patient's healthcare records under any circumstances. In the unfortunate event that any personal data of patients, such as patient records is lost, the unit must report the loss using the incident reporting mechanism.
To enhance handling and communication among staff during inter-hospital transfer within KCC, the use of QEH Medical Record Bag has been implemented to protect patient information against unauthorized access or accidental loss. In collaboration with the Central Nursing Division (CND), clinical departments and the Administrative Services Department (ASD), designated bags were designed for clear identification and labelling to prevent misplacement. The new bags were first implemented at QEH, and subsequently promoted to other KCC hospitals for inter-hospital transfer from July 2022 onwards.
Objectives :
This quality improvement project aims to enhance the management of patient medical records by employing a secure and reliable tool for inter-hospital patient transfer within KCC. Patients’ medical records will be packed in specially customized bags with a self-adhesive seal and a clear alertness symbol, facilitating the handling and checking of patient records at various checkpoints throughout the transfer process. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the risk of patient medical records misplacement, and ensure a clear handover between parent and recipient hospitals.
Methodology :
1. Address the problems and gaps in current situation. CND invited frontline representatives and ASD to discuss on the workflow and identify the needs.
2. Source an appropriate tool – a secure and reliable customized bag to physically safeguard paper records. Strong-adhesive sealing tape ensure that all patient records remain secure, while clear wordings raise staff alertness
3. Design a new workflow and solicit feedback from frontline representatives and ASD
Result & Outcome :
• Medical Record Bag was introduced to managers and frontline staff though cluster meetings and local management meetings.
• Designated plastic bags with strong adhesive power were designed and produced.
• Trial runs were conducted.
• First phase of implementation began in June 2022 for QEH patient transferred to other KCC hospitals followed by a second phase started in December 2024 for all KCC hospitals.
