Scottish Audit of Surgical Mortality
If I participate do I have to become a 1st or 2nd Line Assessor?
Which patients are included in SASM?
How will I be notified if a patient dies under my care?
Can I notify SASM of a death?
Do I need case notes to complete the pro forma?
Do I get regular feedback/reports on the outcome of my studies?
Will I get an Individual Annual Report (IAR) for my 2010 deaths?
Could my information be subject to a Freedom of Information Request?
What is the legal position around the SASM process?
Is participation in SASM compulsory?
Participation in SASM is entirely voluntary. Should you wish not to take part then please contact the SASM office:
SASM telephone number: 0141 282 2280 (24 hour voicemail service available)
SASM email address: NSS.isdSASM@nhs.net
If I participate do I have to become a 1st or 2nd Line Assessor?
Please contact the SASM office if you wish to become a 1st Line Assessor.
A 1st Line Assessor is only required to asses cases within their own specialty, the number of assessments per assessor varies between specialties.
Which patients are included in SASM?
SASM audits any inpatient death under the care of a surgeon, whether an operation has taken place or not. SASM has complete coverage of all surgical specialties with the exceptions of Thoracic, Cardiac and Obstetric surgery who participate in UK wide national mortality audits.
How will I be notified if a patient dies under my care?
Once the SASM office is notified of a death, an email will be sent notifying you that you have a new case to complete. No patient identifiers are included in the email to surgeons.
Can I notify SASM of a death?
Yes – ensuring the patient meets the inclusion criteria (inpatient death under the care of a surgeon). The following information is needed to initiate the study:
| Study Type (Surgical, Orthopaedic, Paediatric or Neurosurgical) |
| Hospital Hospital Unit Number (if known) Patient Name |
| Gender |
| CHI Number (if known) |
| Date of birth |
| Date of admission (if known) |
| Date of death |
| Name of Responsible Consultant Surgeon |
| If there was anaesthetic involvement – Name of Responsible Consultant Anaesthetist |
| If the patient died in ICU - Name of Responsible Consultant Intensivist |
| If there was IR involvement – Name of Responsible Consultant Interventional Radiologist |
Do I need case notes to complete the pro forma?
Yes, it is recommended that you have the case notes available when completing the audit to ensure all the relevant information is included.
Do I get regular feedback/reports on the outcome of my studies?
Yes. Feedback for all studies which have completed the SASM process can be accessed form the “Feedback” tab on eSASM, and can be accessed at any time.
Will I get an Individual Annual Report (IAR) for my 2010 deaths?
No. Due to the suspension of SASM in May 2010, SASM stopped processing and reporting on 2010 data.