Edward Palmer

I am a medical registrar and basic trainee located in Nelson.

I am passionate about Quality Improvement, and getting RMOs engaged in genuine change processes.

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Sleep Well - A Quality Improvement Project​

Aim:

To improve sleep quality of inpatients in a medical admissions unit by 50% by Janurary 2021.

Methods:

A quality improvement model was used. Multi-disciplinary team members were utilized to analyze the causes of poor sleep for inpatients.

Multiple solutions were trialled. Sleep masks and ear plugs were most successful and continued.

Sleep quality was measured by an adapted Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index administered to patients. 

Results:

Sleep quality improved by 100% after intervention was trialled. The solution was adopted by the District Health Board and funded ongoing.

Clinical Practice Point:

Junior staff are often encouraged to undertake clinical research but use an audit model often where other models are better suited. Quality Improvement models provide real time solutions that can implemented in real time with ease and low cost. Genuine benefits to clinical parameters can result without the need for vast quantities of data typically required of audit. 

Knowledge surrounding how to undertake research aimed at improvement processes is lacking across junior staff. This talk aims to demonstrate how a culture of quality improvement benefits both staff and patients.