Up to the job? Auditing to assess the adequacy of an established ICP

Abstract

An integrated care pathway (ICP) for stroke patients is in use on a Stroke Rehabilitation Unit. As part of a project to develop and extend its use, its current use was explored by talking to members of the multidisciplinary team and observing practice. Concerns were raised that nurses’ documentation was not always adequate or accurate. An audit comparing written information with nurses’ spoken communication at shift change was performed, which showed a low rate of inconsistent documentation, and served to highlight areas where the ICP structure did not lend itself to easy documentation. The audit was a simple and useful way of providing reassurance about the quality of documentation and for highlighting areas where further development was needed.