Helping to drive quality and reduce costs
Quality improvement, patient safety, and cost efficiency are important considerations for healthcare organisations in the UK and beyond. Various interventions can address these issues, including improving staffing levels, applying clinical improvement programmes, and seeking consultancy services to manage costs. 21 While these approaches can be beneficial, they often require financial investment. Another alternative is to explore existing resources that may not be fully utilised within local contexts. Decision support tools can be particularly helpful in improving patient safety and lowering litigation costs.
BMJ Best Practice is one such tool, which is freely available to healthcare professionals in NHS England, Scotland, and Wales due to subscriptions provided by these nations. Patient lawsuits stemming from misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis carry substantial financial implications. NHS Resolution 22 reveals that noteworthy diagnostic delays, such as those involving cauda equina syndrome, can lead to costs exceeding £2 million. BMJ Best Practice encompasses cauda equina syndrome and critical conditions like meningitis, aiding precise and timely diagnosis. This can directly contribute to enhanced quality of care and cost reduction.
We are very grateful to BMJ Best Practice Podcast for helping to promote the importance of best practice care and reduce the variations in standards of practice that can exist. Through promotion of these messages, which the BMJ Best Practice Podcast has helped to facilitate, we aim to support improvements in patient safety, a reduction in avoidable harm and of course linked to that a reduction in clinical negligence claims.” Nicole Mottolini Clinical Fellow – Diabetes and Lower Limb, NHS Resolution
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