Safety in spinal surgery-Empowering clinicians to report concerns in motor function

Aims: Timely identification of neurological deterioration in patients with spinal disorders, through spinal motor assessment, is paramount in achieving early intervention to reduce the risk of permanent deficits. This project was initiated to meet the requirement for safe, timely spinal motor assessment through establishing and addressing clinician's educational needs.

Design: Mixed methods study conducted through online survey and concurrent focus groups June 2022-April 2023.

Methods: Pre-intervention online survey and focus groups identified insufficient provision of education targeted at identifying changes in motor function and as a result, clinicians lacked confidence and competence in completing assessments and caring for patients with spinal disorders. An e-learning package was created and shared widely along with additional interventions to support assessment completion. To establish the success of the project a post-intervention online survey was distributed.

Results: Survey respondents reported that the e-learning package has influenced their practice to either some extent or to a great extent with 91% reporting increased confidence in completing a spinal motor assessment. Post-intervention results also demonstrated an increase in confidence in caring for spinal surgery patients.

Conclusion: Through engaging with clinicians to establish and address educational needs, this quality improvement project has successfully increased competence and confidence in this area of spinal care.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: This study highlights the importance of targeted education to ensure that clinicians are appropriately skilled to identify neurological deterioration and demonstrates the effectiveness of digital education in providing this.

Impact: This study addressed concerns around timely identification of deterioration of spinal patients. Study findings were the success in utilizing digital education to increase clinician's confidence and competence and thus enhance patient safety. This research will have an impact on clinical areas caring for patients with spinal disorders.

Reporting method: SQUIRE guidelines.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution.