ArticleBMJ open quality2026
Implementing discharge summary documentation: a quality improvement initiative in a Nigerian hospital.
Article in BMJ open quality, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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10 authors.
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Abstract
Discharge summaries (DS) are essential for ensuring safe and effective transitions from inpatient to outpatient care, yet completion rates are often suboptimal in low-resource settings. This quality improvement project (QIP) was undertaken in the General Surgery and Neurosurgery units of the Department of Surgery, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Nigeria, to increase DS completion to at least 50% within 12 weeks. Using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model, baseline performance was established via a 3-month retrospective audit, revealing DS completion rates of 0% (0/56) in General Surgery and 33% (7/21) in Neurosurgery, with an overall rate of 9% (7/77). A survey of surgical trainees and house officers identified poor knowledge of DS practice and the absence of a standardised template as key barriers.Interventions included DS training at induction, dissemination of prestructured templates, deployment of visual management tools and appointment of unit-based DS champions. Change ideas were tested in 1-week to 2-week PDSA cycles with continuous monitoring of process and outcome measures. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics V.25, and significance was assessed via χ
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