Putting research into practice: a pilot project to implement a new way for UK paediatric cardiac units to monitor their short-term surgical outcomes.

Abstract

Adult cardiac units in the UK routinely monitor their survival outcomes adjusting for the severity of their case mix, supporting improvements in the services they offer. However to date there has been greater difficulty in evaluating the (short-term) mortality outcomes in paediatric cardiac surgery. We have just completed a pilot project to implement risk-adjusted programme-level monitoring in UK paediatric cardiac units for the first time. In collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital and the CCAD we developed a new risk model for 30 day mortality following paediatric cardiac surgery, finishing in October 2011. We started the pilot in November 2011 and worked closely with pilot units to develop Excel software that could be used by data managers to implement our risk model and produce charts showing the unit's risk-adjusted 30-day outcomes over time. The pilot project has now finished and pilot units are continuing to use the developed prototype software. Key to the success of this pilot was taking the time to engage with both data managers and clinicians at each unit.