241. An interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance consent for imaging for VTE in pregnancy: A quality improvement project

Introduction Imaging for VTE in pregnancy is common, but the decision between VQ scan and CTPA often causes anxiety amongst women and health care professionals. Ensuring the patient is aware of the rationale, risks, and benefits requires a good understanding of the technicalities of each scan, as well as the ability to express relative risks in terms the patient can understand. We identified a need for an accurate patient information leaflet (PIL), as well as the need to improve staff education and confidence. We used an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating the recent updates to Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations and latest ARSAC research into our educational material and guidelines. Methods Multi-specialty survey: We designed and disseminated a short survey amongst health care professionals to assess their confidence about counselling women. 124 people completed this survey (obstetricians, physicians, midwives, and radiographers) and it was clear that staff were particularly underconfident about VQ scans. Over 99% of survey participants indicated they would find an education session useful in addition to a new PIL, with several expressing they were shocked how little they knew. Areas that revealed particular uncertainty included advice for pregnant staff caring for women having VQ scans, and the risks associated with both VQ and CTPA. Patient information leaflet: We designed a PIL to cover all the essential areas about the use of chest radiography, ultrasonography, VQ and CTPA in pregnancy and commonly asked questions associated with these investigations. Education session: These were introduced at both hospitals in our Trust. Conclusions The survey results, patient information leaflet and results of a post-implementation survey will be presented. As a result of this project, we hope to demonstrate that women are more informed when these tests are being performed, and that staff feel more confident.