The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has announced its next Quality Improvement Project (QIP), with applications to join the Topic Team now open.
Management of Paracetamol Overdoses in Emergency Departments (EDs) will be the next area of care RCEM seeks to improve, the College can reveal today, 21 January.
This topic has been chosen following a competitive process which invited suggestions from RCEM members.
Despite paracetamol being a commonly available over-the-counter medication, untreated overdoses can cause serious harm and may be fatal. Delays in appropriate blood tests or initiating treatment can significantly reduce a patient’s chances of a swift recovery without complications.
This QIP will involve the collection of national data to allow ED teams to identify areas of good practice, while also highlighting opportunities for, improvement. When EDs act on their data, this in turn, should improve their patient outcomes.
The QIP will launch in 2028, and the College has now begun recruiting Emergency Medicine clinicians to join the Topic Team.
Applications to join the Topic Team close on 13 February.
The Topic Team’s responsibilities include steering the QIP, producing reports from data submitted by participating EDs and advise external bodies on the subject.
To apply to join the Topic Team as a member, click here
To apply to be the Topic Team Lead, click here
Dr Sally-Anne Wilson, RCEM Vice-President, said: “I am delighted to see this as a new QIP topic.
“National incident data has shown us that there are often delays or omissions in the care of patients who present to the ED, and confusion between the two most commonly used treatment regimes.
“This QIP should help improve the care given to people who present to the ED following a paracetamol overdose.”
Dr Ian Higginson, RCEM President, said: “As EM clinicians, constantly looking for ways to improve care for our patients is central to what we do – and it’s at the heart of our College work.
“Our QIPs are the epitome of this. They both draw attention to key patient care issues and contribute towards finding solutions to them.
“I would strongly encourage your departments to take part.”
Dr Simin Nikou, RCEM Q A&I Committee Chair, said: “RCEM Quality Improvement Projects are designed to move beyond pass–fail standards and instead support teams to understand their data, identify variation, and drive meaningful improvement in patient care.
“This project reflects our commitment to using high-quality data, clinical expertise, and collaboration to improve outcomes for patients presenting to Emergency Departments.”
Previous and ongoing QIPs have included one on Time Critical Medication, the initial findings of which were published in April last year and found that more than half of eligible patients taking TCM weren’t identified within 30 minutes of arrival into an ED.
These projects help bring attention to the issues on a national level and ultimately can lead to better care for patients.