Quality in practice: Applying the patient inventory method at a Danish psychiatric hospital

QUALITY PROBLEM: Patient care pathways should be organized according to the needs of the patients. This requires methods to assess whether the specific pathways ensure the right care for the right person at the right time and in the right setting.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT: Previous investigations indicate that ~25% of the patients in Danish hospitals experience inappropriate elements in their care pathways.

CHOICE OF SOLUTION: This study applied the Patient Inventory method to identify inappropriate elements in care pathways in 15 psychiatric in-patient wards in Denmark.

IMPLEMENTATION: The pathway for 201 patients was systematically evaluated by the clinical staff to identify whether the admission of the patient was avoidable, the hospitalization was unnecessarily prolonged or if the patient could receive more relevant treatment elsewhere. A subsequent meeting between the clinical staff and management qualified the assessment and identified possible solutions to problems.

EVALUATION: A total of 54 (26.9%) of the included patients were assessed to have inappropriate elements in their care pathways, some with more than one type, resulting in a total of 65 episodes.Eight of these episodes (13.1%) were admissions considered to be avoidable, 26 (42.2%) were unnecessary prolongation of admissions, and 31 (58.1%) were patients assessed to be able to receive more relevant care elsewhere.

LESSONS LEARNED: One out of four assessed patients admitted to a psychiatric ward was exposed to an inappropriate element in their care pathway. The Patient Inventory tool can assist in a structured dialogue between clinical staff and management to identify focus areas for improvement efforts.