The positive predictive value of a positive DAT for HDN is 23%. The sensitivity was estimated to be 86%. Ten babies required readmission for phototherapy, two of these were DAT-positive. Jaundice, rather than the positive DAT, was the first alert in the majority of cases of HDN requiring phototherapy. Recommendations for testing are discussed but remain controversial in practice. Assessment for hyperbilirubinaemia in all infants early in life is fundamental.
Background
Effective clinical handover has always been integral to delivering safe, high‐quality care in medical wards.
Aim
As handover activity increases in importance we wanted to explore the experience of physicians and trainee doctors. There is little research on internal medicine handover with even less based on direct observational research.
Methods
Data collection over 4 months by two general medicine physicians included participant observation of 37 meetings and 52 audio‐recorded individual interviews. Inductive thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews proceeded iteratively in parallel with data collection.
Results
There was an excellent response rate from 27 of 28 invited trainees and 25 of 26 invited physicians. Overall the experience was positive. Acute medicine handover is a complex human endeavour, occurring daily with an unpredictable workload and areas of tension. Themes were grouped as structural (leadership role, start time, sequence, checklist, handbacks and efficiency) and relational (sensitivity, collegiality, acknowledgement, performance anxiety, tension, responsibility and leadership style). The physician leader needs to be skilled to follow the agreed and evolving process as well as being prepared, authoritative, flexible, equitable, aware and sensitive to the needs of senior colleagues and trainees. There was a tension between efficiency and teaching opportunities.
Conclusion
This paper adds to a contextually sensitive understanding of the social dynamics of handover in acute medicine. Addressing the structural aspects is important to provide the necessary consistency and efficiency in what is an extremely complex and time‐sensitive environment. As we continue to work on the evolution of the handover process in acute internal medicine, we must also attend to the relational aspects which are dynamic and central to its sustainability.
Haemovigilance systems (HSs) have been established in many countries (see Vox Sang 2006; 90: 207-241). The main purpose so far has been the registration of all incidents and untoward effects related to blood transfusion. However, the question has arisen whether the optimal use of blood should be included in the HS. For this international forum, information was obtained on the opinion of the relevant authorities concerning this aspect of haemovigilance and how it should be organized. To obtain this information, the following questions were sent to representatives in the various countries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.