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Kumar A, Husk K, Simpson R, Johnson GD, Burton C. Use of emergency departments by children and young people following telephone triage: a large database study. Emerg Med J 2024:emermed-2023-213619. [PMID: 39271245 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2023-213619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although one objective of NHS 111 is to ease the strain on urgent and emergency care services, studies suggest the telephone triage service may be contributing to increased demand. Moreover, while parents and caregivers generally find NHS 111 satisfactory, concerns exist about its integration with the healthcare system and the appropriateness of advice. This study aimed to analyse the advice provided in NHS 111 calls, the duration between the call and ED attendance, and the outcomes of such attendances made by children and young people (C&YP). METHODS A retrospective cohort study was carried out of C&YP (≤17) attending an ED in the Yorkshire and Humber region of the UK following contact with NHS 111 between 1 April 2016 and 31 March 2017. This linked-data study examined NHS 111 calls and ED outcomes. Lognormal mixture distributions were fit to compare the time taken to attend ED following calls. Logistic mixed effects regression models were used to identify predictors of low-acuity NHS 111-related ED attendances. RESULTS Our study of 348 401 NHS 111 calls found they were primarily concerning children aged 0-4 years. Overall, 13.1% of calls were followed by an ED attendance, with a median arrival time of 51 minutes. Of the 34 664 calls advising ED attendance 41% complied, arriving with a median of 38 minutes-27% of which defined as low-acuity. Although most calls advising primary care were not followed by an ED attendance (93%), those seen in an ED generally attended later (median 102 minutes) with 23% defined as low-acuity. Younger age (<1) was a statistically significant predictor of low-acuity ED attendance following all call dispositions apart from home care. CONCLUSION More tailored options for unscheduled healthcare may be needed for younger children. Both early low-acuity attendance and late high-acuity attendance following contact with NHS 111 could act as useful entry points for clinical audits of the telephone triage service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshay Kumar
- School of Health & Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Rebecca Simpson
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Graham D Johnson
- Emergency Department, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, Derby, UK
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Christopher Burton
- Academic Unit of Primary Medical Care, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Søvsø MB, Haurum RB, Ebbesen TH, Rasmussen AØ, Ward LM, Mogensen ML, Christensen EF, Lindskou TA. Emergency Call versus General Practitioner Requested Ambulances - Patient Mortality, Disease Severity and Pattern. Clin Epidemiol 2024; 16:513-523. [PMID: 39101155 PMCID: PMC11297546 DOI: 10.2147/clep.s469430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Ambulance requests by general practitioners for primary care patients (GP-requested) are often omitted in studies on increased demand within emergency care but may comprise a substantial patient group. We aimed to assess acute severity, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and diagnostic pattern, including comorbidity, and mortality among GP-requested ambulance patients, compared to emergency call ambulance patients. Our hypothesis was that emergency call patients had more severe health issues than GP-requested ambulance patients. Methods Historic population-based cohort study of ambulance patients in the North Denmark Region, 2016-2020. Hospital contact data including diagnoses, ambulance data, vital signs and vital status was linked using each patient's unique identification number. Primary outcome measure was mortality within 1, 7, and 30 days. Secondary outcomes were disease severity expressed as modified National Early Warning Score (NEWS2), and ICU admission. Admission status and hospital diagnostic pattern, including comorbidity were described and compared. Results We included 255,487 patients. GP-requested patients (N = 119,361, 46.7%) were older (median years [IQR] 73 [58-83] versus 61 [37-76]) and more had moderate/severe comorbidity (11.9%, N = 13,806 versus 4.9%, N = 6145) than the emergency call patients. Prehospital mNEWS2 median scores were lower for GP-requested patients. For both groups, mNEWS2 was highest among patients aged 66+. GP-requested patients had higher 30-day mortality (9.0% (95% CI: 8.8-9.2), N = 8996) than emergency call patients (5.2% (95% CI: 5.1-5.4), N = 6727). Circulatory (12.0%, 11,695/97,112) and respiratory diseases (11.6%, 11,219/97,112) were more frequent among GP-requested patients than emergency call patients ((10.7%, 12,640/118,102) and (5.8%, 6858/118,102)). The highest number of deaths was found for health issues 'circulatory diseases' in the emergency call group and 'other factors' followed by "respiratory diseases" in the GP-requested group. Conclusion GP-requested patients constituted nearly half of the EMS volume, they were older, with more comorbidity, had serious conditions with substantial acute severity, and a higher 30-day mortality than emergency call patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten Breinholt Søvsø
- Centre for Prehospital and Emergency Research at Danish Centre for Health Services Research; Aalborg University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Gistrup, Denmark
| | - Rasmine Birch Haurum
- Department of Health, Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Gistrup, Denmark
| | | | - Ann Øster Rasmussen
- Department of Health, Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Gistrup, Denmark
| | | | | | - Erika Frischknecht Christensen
- Centre for Prehospital and Emergency Research at Danish Centre for Health Services Research; Aalborg University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Gistrup, Denmark
| | - Tim Alex Lindskou
- Centre for Prehospital and Emergency Research at Danish Centre for Health Services Research; Aalborg University Hospital and Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Gistrup, Denmark
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Pilbery R, Smith M, Green J, Chalk D, O’Keeffe C. An analysis of NHS 111 demand for primary care services: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300193. [PMID: 38949999 PMCID: PMC11216596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The NHS 111 service triages over 16,650,745 calls per year and approximately 48% of callers are triaged to a primary care disposition, such as a telephone appointment with a general practitioner (GP). However, there has been little assessment of the ability of primary care services to meet this demand. If a timely service cannot be provided to patients, it could result in patients calling 999 or attending emergency departments (ED) instead. This study aimed to explore the patient journey for callers who were triaged to a primary care disposition, and the ability of primary care services to meet this demand. We obtained routine, retrospective data from the Connected Yorkshire research database, and identified all 111 calls between the 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2021 for callers registered with a GP in the Bradford or Airedale region of West Yorkshire, who were triaged to a primary care disposition. Subsequent healthcare system access (111, 999, primary and secondary care) in the 72 hours following the index 111 call was identified, and a descriptive analysis of the healthcare trajectory of patients was undertaken. There were 56,102 index 111 calls, and a primary care service was the first interaction in 26,690/56,102 (47.6%) of cases, with 15,470/26,690 (58%) commenced within the specified triage time frame. Calls to 999 were higher in the cohort who had no prior contact with primary care (58% vs 42%) as were ED attendances (58.2% vs 41.8), although the proportion of avoidable ED attendances was similar (10.5% vs 11.8%). Less than half of 111 callers triaged to a primary care disposition make contact with a primary care service, and even when they do, call triage time frames are frequently not met, suggesting that current primary care provision cannot meet the demand from 111.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Pilbery
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service Research Institute, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research Section, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Madeleine Smith
- Business Intelligence, NHS Devon, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Green
- School of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Chalk
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Colin O’Keeffe
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), Health Services Research Section, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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4
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Sitter K, Braunstein M, Wörnle M. [Motives of patients presenting independently at the emergency department-a prospective monocentric observational study]. Med Klin Intensivmed Notfmed 2024:10.1007/s00063-024-01106-2. [PMID: 38233669 DOI: 10.1007/s00063-024-01106-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the ongoing professional, societal, and political discussion, the hypothesis is repeatedly put forward that a large portion of patients who independently visit the emergency department could also be treated in other care settings such as by a general practitioner, the statutory medical on-call service, or in emergency clinics. Various reasons are cited for why these alternative care settings are not utilized in these cases. OBJECTIVES This study investigates the motives of patients who presented independently at the emergency department, as well as the socio-demographic parameters of this study cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS The survey was carried out as part of a prospective monocentric observational study of internal medicine patients at a university emergency department. RESULTS A total of 1086 patients were included in the study. In total, 33% of the study participants visited the emergency department based on a physician's recommendation or referral instead of opting for an alternative care option. The main reason for visiting the emergency department was the subjectively assessed urgency of their symptoms. Among the patients who presented independently at the emergency department, 28% required further inpatient care during the course of treatment. Awareness of alternative care pathways, such as utilizing emergency medical services, seeking care from the statutory medical on-call service, or visiting an emergency clinic, was low. CONCLUSIONS Emergency departments remain an important point of contact for patients who present there independently, without being brought by emergency medical services. The motives behind why patients choose a visit to the emergency department over treatment in an alternative care setting vary. If alternatives are to be used instead of emergency departments, structures first need to be established or expanded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Sitter
- Klinik für Neurologie der Universität Regensburg am medbo Bezirksklinikum Regensburg, Universitätsstr. 84, 93053, Regensburg, Deutschland
| | - Mareen Braunstein
- Zentrale Notaufnahme, Klinikum Innenstadt, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Ziemssenstraße 5, 80336, München, Deutschland
| | - Markus Wörnle
- Zentrale Notaufnahme, Klinikum Innenstadt, LMU Klinikum, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Ziemssenstraße 5, 80336, München, Deutschland.
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5
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Sampson FC, Knowles EL, Long J, Turner J, Coster J. How could online NHS 111 reduce demand for the telephone NHS 111 service? Qualitative study of user and staff views. Emerg Med J 2023; 41:34-39. [PMID: 37923358 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2022-213009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Online NHS111 was introduced in 2018 in response to increasing and unsustainable demand for telephone NHS111. Despite high levels of use, there is little evidence of channel shift from the telephone to the online service. We explored user and staff perspectives of online NHS111 to understand how and why online NHS111 is used and whether there may be potential for shift from the telephone to online service. METHODS As part of a wider mixed-methods study, we used qualitative semistructured interviews to explore perspectives of recent users of online 111 who had responded to a user survey (n=32) and NHS 111 staff (n=16) between November 2019 and June 2020. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data sets were analysed separately using framework analysis (user interviews) and thematic analysis (staff interviews). RESULTS Telephone NHS111 health adviser skills in probing and obtaining 'soft information' were perceived as key to obtaining advice that was considered more appropriate and trusted than advice from online interactions, which relied on oversimplified or irrelevant questions.Online NHS111 was perceived to provide a useful and convenient adjunct to the telephone service and widened access to NHS111 services for some subgroups of users who would not otherwise access the telephone service (eg, communication barriers, social anxiety) or were concerned about 'bothering' a health professional. The nature of the online consultation meant that online NHS111 was perceived as more disposable and used more speculatively. CONCLUSION Online 111 was perceived as a useful adjunct but not a replacement for telephone NHS 111 with potential for channel shift hindered by reduced confidence in the online service due to the lack of human interaction. Further development of OL111 algorithms will be required if it is to meet the needs of people with more complex health needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona C Sampson
- ScHARR, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
| | - Emma L Knowles
- Audience Insights, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Manchester, UK
| | - Jaqui Long
- ScHARR, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
| | - Janette Turner
- ScHARR, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
| | - Joanne Coster
- ScHARR, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK
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Feldheim J, Schmidt T, Oster C, Feldheim J, Stuschke M, Stummer W, Grauer O, Scheffler B, Hagemann C, Sure U, Kleinschnitz C, Lazaridis L, Kebir S, Glas M. Telemedicine in Neuro-Oncology-An Evaluation of Remote Consultations during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4054. [PMID: 37627083 PMCID: PMC10452255 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15164054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to minimize the risk of infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote video consultations (VC) experienced an upswing in most medical fields. However, telemedicine in neuro-oncology comprises unique challenges and opportunities. So far, evidence-based insights to evaluate and potentially customize current concepts are scarce. To fill this gap, we analyzed >3700 neuro-oncological consultations, of which >300 were conducted as VC per patients' preference, in order to detect how both patient collectives distinguished from one another. Additionally, we examined patients' reasons, suitable/less suitable encounters, VC's benefits and disadvantages and future opportunities with an anonymized survey. Patients that participated in VC had a worse clinical condition, higher grade of malignancy, were more often diagnosed with glioblastoma and had a longer travel distance (all p < 0.01). VC were considered a fully adequate alternative to face-to-face consultations for almost all encounters that patients chose to participate in (>70%) except initial consultations. Most participants preferred to alternate between both modalities rather than participate in one alone but preferred VC over telephone consultation. VC made patients feel safer, and participants expressed interest in implementing other telemedicine modalities (e.g., apps) into neuro-oncology. VC are a promising addition to patient care in neuro-oncology. However, patients and encounters should be selected individually.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Feldheim
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- Section Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Teresa Schmidt
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Christoph Oster
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Julia Feldheim
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Martin Stuschke
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Walter Stummer
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Oliver Grauer
- Department of Neurology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Björn Scheffler
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Carsten Hagemann
- Section Experimental Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Sure
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Christoph Kleinschnitz
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Lazaros Lazaridis
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Sied Kebir
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Martin Glas
- Division of Clinical Neuro-Oncology, Department of Neurology and Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences (C-TNBS), University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- DKFZ-Division Translational Neuro-Oncology, West German Cancer Center (WTZ), DKTK Partner Site, University Medicine Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
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Deguchi R, Katayama Y, Himura H, Nishimura T, Nakagawa Y, Kitamura T, Tai S, Tsujino J, Shimazu T, Mizobata Y. Telephone triage service use is associated with better outcomes among patients with cerebrovascular diseases: a propensity score analysis using population-based data. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1175479. [PMID: 37351090 PMCID: PMC10282134 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1175479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The telephone triage service is an emergency medical system through which citizens consult telephone triage nurses regarding illness, and the nurses determine the urgency and need for an ambulance. Despite being introduced in several countries, its impact on emergency patients has not been reported. We aimed to determine the effect of the telephone triage service on the outcomes of hospitalized patients diagnosed with cerebrovascular disease upon arrival after being transported by an ambulance. Methods This retrospective study included patients with cerebrovascular disease who were transported by ambulance between January 2016 and December 2019. The primary outcome was discharge to home by day 21 of hospitalization. A total of 344 patients who used the telephone triage service were propensity score-matched to 344 patients who directly called for an ambulance. Results Telephone triage service use was associated with discharge to home by hospital day 21 (crude odd ratio: 1.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.3-2.4) and was not significantly associated with survival on hospital day 21 in multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion The prognoses of cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage depend on the time from symptom onset to treatment. Telephone triage services may allow patients to receive treatment more rapidly than traditional ambulance requests, resulting in improved patient outcomes. The findings of this study suggest that the use of telephone triage services is associated with improved outcomes in patients with cerebrovascular disease and indicate that the costs for medical expenses and disability may be greatly reduced in an aging society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Deguchi
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Katayama
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Hoshi Himura
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Nishimura
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuko Nakagawa
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Tetsuhisa Kitamura
- Division of Environmental Medicine and Population Sciences, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | | | | | | | - Yasumitsu Mizobata
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
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Turnbull J, MacLellan J, Churruca K, Ellis LA, Prichard J, Browne D, Braithwaite J, Petter E, Chisambi M, Pope C. A multimethod study of NHS 111 online. HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE DELIVERY RESEARCH 2023; 11:1-104. [PMID: 37464813 DOI: 10.3310/ytrr9821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Background NHS 111 online offers 24-hour access to health assessment and triage. Objectives This study examined pathways to care, differential access and use, and workforce impacts of NHS 111 online. This study compared NHS 111 with Healthdirect (Haymarket, Australia) virtual triage. Design Interviews with 80 staff and stakeholders in English primary, urgent and emergency care, and 41 staff and stakeholders associated with Healthdirect. A survey of 2754 respondents, of whom 1137 (41.3%) had used NHS 111 online and 1617 (58.7%) had not. Results NHS 111 online is one of several digital health-care technologies and was not differentiated from the NHS 111 telephone service or well understood. There is a similar lack of awareness of Healthdirect virtual triage. NHS 111 and Healthdirect virtual triage are perceived as creating additional work for health-care staff and inappropriate demand for some health services, especially emergency care. One-third of survey respondents reported that they had not used any NHS 111 service (telephone or online). Older people and those with less educational qualifications are less likely to use NHS 111 online. Respondents who had used NHS 111 online reported more use of other urgent care services and make more cumulative use of services than those who had not used NHS 111 online. Users of NHS 111 online had higher levels of self-reported eHealth literacy. There were differences in reported preferences for using NHS 111 online for different symptom presentations. Conclusions Greater clarity about what the NHS 111 online service offers would allow better signposting and reduce confusion. Generic NHS 111 services are perceived as creating additional work in the primary, urgent and emergency care system. There are differences in eHealth literacy between users and those who have not used NHS 111 online, and this suggests that 'digital first' policies may increase health inequalities. Limitations This research bridged the pandemic from 2020 to 2021; therefore, findings may change as services adjust going forward. Surveys used a digital platform so there is probably bias towards some level of e-Literacy, but this also means that our data may underestimate the digital divide. Future work Further investigation of access to digital services could address concerns about digital exclusion. Research comparing the affordances and cost-benefits of different triage and assessment systems for users and health-care providers is needed. Research about trust in virtual assessments may show how duplication can be reduced. Mixed-methods studies looking at outcomes, impacts on work and costs, and ways to measure eHealth literacy, can inform the development NHS 111 online and opportunities for further international shared learning could be pursued. Study registration This study is registered at the research registry (UIN 5392). Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 11, No. 5. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Turnbull
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jennifer MacLellan
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kate Churruca
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Louise A Ellis
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jane Prichard
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Jeffrey Braithwaite
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Emily Petter
- NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, Winchester, UK
| | - Matthew Chisambi
- Imperial College Health Partners, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Catherine Pope
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Ho K, Abu-Laban RB, Stewart K, Duncan R, Scheuermeyer FX, Hedden L, Lauscher HN, Sundhu S, Chadha R, Christenson J, Grafstein E, Lavallee DC, Purssell R, Tallon JM, Wood N, Bryan S. Health system use and outcomes of urgently triaged callers to a nurse-managed telephone service for provincial health information after initiation of supplemental virtual physician assessment: a descriptive study. CMAJ Open 2023; 11:E459-E465. [PMID: 37220956 DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20220196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND British Columbia's 8-1-1 telephone service connects callers with nurses for health care advice. As of Nov. 16, 2020, callers advised by a registered nurse to obtain in-person medical care can be subsequently referred to virtual physicians. We sought to determine health system use and outcomes of 8-1-1 callers urgently triaged by a nurse and subsequently assessed by a virtual physician. METHODS We identified callers referred to a virtual physician between Nov. 16, 2020, and Apr. 30, 2021. After assessment, virtual physicians assigned callers to 1 of 5 triage dispositions (i.e., go to emergency department [ED] now, see primary care provider within 24 hours, schedule an appointment with a health care provider, try home treatment, other). We linked relevant administrative databases to ascertain subsequent health care use and outcomes. RESULTS We identified 5937 encounters with virtual physicians involving 5886 8-1-1 callers. Virtual physicians advised 1546 callers (26.0%) to go to the ED immediately, of whom 971 (62.8%) had 1 or more ED visits within 24 hours. Virtual physicians advised 556 (9.4%) callers to seek primary care within 24 hours, of whom 132 (23.7%) had primary care billings within 24 hours. Virtual physicians advised 1773 (29.9%) callers to schedule an appointment with a health care provider, of whom 812 (45.8%) had primary care billings within 7 days. Virtual physicians advised 1834 (30.9%) callers to try a home treatment, of whom 892 (48.6%) had no health system encounters over the next 7 days. Eight (0.1%) callers died within 7 days of assessment with a virtual physician, 5 of whom were advised to go to the ED immediately. Fifty-four (2.9%) callers with a "try home treatment" disposition were admitted to hospital within 7 days of a virtual physician assessment, and no callers who were advised home treatment died. INTERPRETATION This Canadian study evaluated health service use and outcomes arising from the addition of virtual physicians to a provincial health information telephone service. Our findings suggest that supplementation of this service with an assessment from a virtual physician safely reduces the overall proportion of callers advised to seek urgent in-person visits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendall Ho
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Riyad B Abu-Laban
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Kurtis Stewart
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Ross Duncan
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Frank X Scheuermeyer
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Lindsay Hedden
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Helen Novak Lauscher
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Sandra Sundhu
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Rina Chadha
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Jim Christenson
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Eric Grafstein
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Danielle C Lavallee
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Roy Purssell
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - John M Tallon
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Nancy Wood
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Stirling Bryan
- Department of Emergency Medicine (Ho, Abu-Laban, Stewart, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Novak Lauscher, Chadha, Christenson, Grafstein, Purssell, Tallon), Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia; BC Emergency Medicine Network (Ho, Abu-Laban, Duncan, Scheuermeyer, Christenson, Grafstein, Wood); Michael Smith Health Research BC (Duncan, Hedden, Lavallee, Bryan), Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Health Sciences (Hedden), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC; HealthLink BC (Sundhu); Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes Sciences (Christenson), Providence Research Institute; School of Population and Public Health (Lavallee, Bryan), The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
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10
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Painter A, Hayhoe B, Riboli-Sasco E, El-Osta A. Online Symptom Checkers: Recommendations for a Vignette-Based Clinical Evaluation Standard. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e37408. [DOI: 10.2196/37408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of patient-facing online symptom checkers (OSCs) has expanded in recent years, but their accuracy, safety, and impact on patient behaviors and health care systems remain unclear. The lack of a standardized process of clinical evaluation has resulted in significant variation in approaches to OSC validation and evaluation. The aim of this paper is to characterize a set of congruent requirements for a standardized vignette-based clinical evaluation process of OSCs. Discrepancies in the findings of comparative studies to date suggest that different steps in OSC evaluation methodology can significantly influence outcomes. A standardized process with a clear specification for vignette-based clinical evaluation is urgently needed to guide developers and facilitate the objective comparison of OSCs. We propose 15 recommendation requirements for an OSC evaluation standard. A third-party evaluation process and protocols for prospective real-world evidence studies should also be prioritized to quality assure OSC assessment.
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11
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Fraser HSF, Cohan G, Koehler C, Anderson J, Lawrence A, Pateña J, Bacher I, Ranney ML. Evaluation of Diagnostic and Triage Accuracy and Usability of a Symptom Checker in an Emergency Department: Observational Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022; 10:e38364. [PMID: 36121688 PMCID: PMC9531004 DOI: 10.2196/38364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Symptom checkers are clinical decision support apps for patients, used by tens of millions of people annually. They are designed to provide diagnostic and triage advice and assist users in seeking the appropriate level of care. Little evidence is available regarding their diagnostic and triage accuracy with direct use by patients for urgent conditions. Objective The aim of this study is to determine the diagnostic and triage accuracy and usability of a symptom checker in use by patients presenting to an emergency department (ED). Methods We recruited a convenience sample of English-speaking patients presenting for care in an urban ED. Each consenting patient used a leading symptom checker from Ada Health before the ED evaluation. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by comparing the symptom checker’s diagnoses and those of 3 independent emergency physicians viewing the patient-entered symptom data, with the final diagnoses from the ED evaluation. The Ada diagnoses and triage were also critiqued by the independent physicians. The patients completed a usability survey based on the Technology Acceptance Model. Results A total of 40 (80%) of the 50 participants approached completed the symptom checker assessment and usability survey. Their mean age was 39.3 (SD 15.9; range 18-76) years, and they were 65% (26/40) female, 68% (27/40) White, 48% (19/40) Hispanic or Latino, and 13% (5/40) Black or African American. Some cases had missing data or a lack of a clear ED diagnosis; 75% (30/40) were included in the analysis of diagnosis, and 93% (37/40) for triage. The sensitivity for at least one of the final ED diagnoses by Ada (based on its top 5 diagnoses) was 70% (95% CI 54%-86%), close to the mean sensitivity for the 3 physicians (on their top 3 diagnoses) of 68.9%. The physicians rated the Ada triage decisions as 62% (23/37) fully agree and 24% (9/37) safe but too cautious. It was rated as unsafe and too risky in 22% (8/37) of cases by at least one physician, in 14% (5/37) of cases by at least two physicians, and in 5% (2/37) of cases by all 3 physicians. Usability was rated highly; participants agreed or strongly agreed with the 7 Technology Acceptance Model usability questions with a mean score of 84.6%, although “satisfaction” and “enjoyment” were rated low. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that a symptom checker can provide acceptable usability and diagnostic accuracy for patients with various urgent conditions. A total of 14% (5/37) of symptom checker triage recommendations were deemed unsafe and too risky by at least two physicians based on the symptoms recorded, similar to the results of studies on telephone and nurse triage. Larger studies are needed of diagnosis and triage performance with direct patient use in different clinical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish S F Fraser
- Brown Center for Biomedical Informatics, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Gregory Cohan
- Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Christopher Koehler
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Jared Anderson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Alexis Lawrence
- Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, Department of Emergency Medicine, St Luke's Hospital, New Bedford, MA, United States
| | - John Pateña
- Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Ian Bacher
- Brown Center for Biomedical Informatics, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Megan L Ranney
- School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health, Providence, RI, United States
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12
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Zinger ND, Blomberg SN, Lippert F, Krafft T, Christensen HC. Impact of integrating out-of-hours services into Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen: a descriptive study of transformational years. Int J Emerg Med 2022; 15:40. [PMID: 36008756 PMCID: PMC9414103 DOI: 10.1186/s12245-022-00442-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Many emergency medical services and out-of-hours systems are facing an increasing demand for primary, ambulance, and secondary care services caused by population aging and a higher prevalence of long-term and complex conditions. In order to ensure safety and efficiency for future demands, many systems are changing their dispersed healthcare services towards a more integrated care system. Therefore, an evaluation of the production and performance over time of such a unified system is desirable. Methods This retrospective quantitative study was performed with dispatch and financial accounting data of Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services for the period 2010–2019. Copenhagen Emergency Medical Services operates both an emergency number and a medical helpline for out-of-hours services. The number of calls to the emergency number, the centralized out-of-hours medical helpline, the number of dispatches, and the annual expenditure of the system are described for both the periods before and after the major reforms. Production of the emergency number and the centralized medical helpline were analyzed separately. Results The average number of dispatches increased from 328 per 10,000 inhabitants in 2010 to 361 per 10,000 inhabitants in 2019. The newly initiated medical helpline received 533 calls per 10,000 inhabitants in its first year and 5 years later 548 calls per 10,000 inhabitants. A cost increase of 10% was observed in the first year after the reforms, but it decreased again to 8% in the following year. Conclusions There is a population demand for a centralized telephone access point for (semi-)emergency medical services. A more integrated EMS system is promising for a sustainable healthcare provision for a growing population with complex healthcare demands and multi-morbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nienke D Zinger
- Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stig Nikolaj Blomberg
- Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Freddy Lippert
- Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Krafft
- Department of Health, Ethics & Society, CAPHRI School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Helle Collatz Christensen
- Emergency Medical Services Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Danish Clinical Quality Program (RKKP), National Clinical Registries, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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13
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Katayama Y, Kitamura T, Nakao S, Tanaka K, Himura H, Deguchi R, Tai S, Tsujino J, Mizobata Y, Shimazu T, Nakagawa Y. Association of a telephone triage service for emergency patients with better outcome: a population-based study in Osaka City, Japan. Eur J Emerg Med 2022; 29:262-270. [PMID: 35148526 PMCID: PMC9241652 DOI: 10.1097/mej.0000000000000902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Telephone triage service in emergency care has been introduced in many countries, and it is important to determine the effect of telephone triage service on the outcome of emergency patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of telephone triage service on the outcome of emergency patients using propensity score. METHODS DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS This was a retrospective study with a study period from January 2016 to December 2019. We included all patients transported by ambulances of the Osaka Municipal Fire Department during study period. EXPOSURE Telephone triage service. OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS The main outcome of this study was unfavorable outcome following use of the telephone triage service. In this study, unfavorable outcome was defined as patients who were admitted, transferred, or died after care in the emergency department. Propensity scores were calculated using a logistic regression model with 12 variables that were present before the telephone triage service was used or were indicative of the patient's condition. Data analyses were not only propensity score matching but also a multivariable logistic regression model and regression model with propensity score as a covariate. MAIN RESULTS The number of patients eligible for analyses was 707 474. Of these patients, 8008 (1.0%) used the telephone triage services and 699 466 patients (99.0%) did not use it. The number of patients with an unfavorable outcome was 407 568 (57.6%) in the total cohort. Of them, 2305 patients (28.8%) used the telephone triage service and 297 601 patients (42.5%) did not use it. For propensity score matching, 8008 patients were matched from each group. Use of the telephone triage service was inversely associated with unfavorable outcome in a multivariate logistic regression model with propensity score as a covariate [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.874; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.831-0.919] and propensity score matching (crude OR, 0.875; 95% CI, 0.818-0.936). CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that the use of the telephone triage service in Osaka city, Japan was associated with better outcomes of patients transported by ambulance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kenta Tanaka
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
| | - Hoshi Himura
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
| | - Ryo Deguchi
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
| | - Shunsuke Tai
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
| | - Junya Tsujino
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
| | | | | | - Yuko Nakagawa
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine
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14
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Simpson RM, Jacques RM, Nicholl J, Stone T, Turner J. Measuring the impact introducing NHS 111 online had on the NHS 111 telephone service and the wider NHS urgent care system: an observational study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e058964. [PMID: 35820752 PMCID: PMC9316045 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore what impact introducing the National Health Service (NHS) 111 online service had on the number of phone calls to the NHS 111 telephone service and the NHS urgent care system. DESIGN Observational study using a dose-response interrupted time series model and random-effects meta- analysis to estimate the average effect. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS NHS 111 telephone and online contacts for 18 NHS 111 area codes in England. NHS 111 telephone and online contacts data were collected between October 2010 to December 2019 and January 2018 to December 2019, respectively. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome: the number of triaged calls to the NHS 111 telephone service following the introduction of NHS 111 online. SECONDARY OUTCOMES total calls to the NHS 111 telephone service, total number of emergency ambulance referrals or advice to contact 999, total number of advice to attend an emergency department or other urgent care treatment facility, and total number of advice to contact primary care. RESULTS For triaged calls, the overall incidence rate ratio (IRR) per 1000 online contacts was 1.013 (95% CI: 0.996 to 1.029, p=0.127). For total calls, the overall IRR per 1000 online contacts was 1.008 (95% CI: 0.992 to 1.025, p=0.313). For emergency ambulance referrals or advice to contact 999, the overall IRR per 1000 online contacts was 1.067 (95% CI: 1.035 to 1.100, p<0.001). For advice to attend an emergency department or other urgent care treatment facility, the overall IRR per 1000 online contacts is 1.050 (95% CI: 1.010 to 1.092, p=0.014). And finally, for those advised to contact primary care, the overall IRR per 1000 online contacts is 1.051 (95% CI: 1.027 to 1.076, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS It was found that the NHS 111 online service has little impact on the number of triaged and total calls, suggesting that the workload for the NHS 111 telephone service has not increased or decreased as a result of introducing NHS 111 online. However, there was evidence to suggest an increase in the overall number of disposition recommendations (ambulance, emergency department and primary care) for NHS 111 telephone and online services combined following the introduction of the NHS 111 online service.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Simpson
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Richard M Jacques
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jon Nicholl
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tony Stone
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Janette Turner
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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15
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Katayama Y, Kitamura T, Nakao S, Himura H, Deguchi R, Tai S, Tsujino J, Mizobata Y, Shimazu T, Nakagawa Y. Telephone Triage for Emergency Patients Reduces Unnecessary Ambulance Use: A Propensity Score Analysis With Population-Based Data in Osaka City, Japan. Front Public Health 2022; 10:896506. [PMID: 35844882 PMCID: PMC9277563 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.896506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Telephone triage service in emergency care has been introduced around the world, but the impact of this service on the emergency medical service (EMS) system has not been fully revealed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of telephone triage service for emergency patients on decreasing unnecessary ambulance use by analysis with propensity score (PS) matching. Methods This study was a retrospective observational study, and the study period was the 4 years from January 2016 to December 2019. We included cases for which ambulances were dispatched from the Osaka Municipal Fire Department (OMFD). The primary outcome of this study was unnecessary ambulance use. We calculated a PS by fitting a logistic regression model to adjust for 10 variables that existed before use of the telephone triage service. To ensure the robustness of this analysis, we used not only PS matching but also a multivariable logistic regression model and regression model with PS as a covariate. Results This study included 868,548 cases, of which 8,828 (1.0%) used telephone triage services and 859,720 (99.0%) did not use this service. Use of the telephone triage service was inversely associated with the occurrence of unnecessary ambulance use in multivariate logistic regression model (adjusted OR 0.453, 95% CI 0.405–0.506) and multivariate logistic regression model with PS as a covariate (adjusted OR 0.514, 95% CI 0.460–0.574). In the PS matching model, we also revealed same results (crude OR 0.487, 95% CI 0.425–0.588). Conclusions In this study, we were able to statistically evaluate the effectiveness of telephone triage service already in use by the public using the statistical method with PS. As a result, it was revealed that the use of a telephone triage service was associated with a lower proportion of unnecessary ambulance use in a metropolitan area of Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Katayama
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
- *Correspondence: Yusuke Katayama
| | - Tetsuhisa Kitamura
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Population Sciences, Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Shunichiro Nakao
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
| | - Hoshi Himura
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryo Deguchi
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | | | | | - Yasumitsu Mizobata
- Department of Traumatology and Critical Care Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Yuko Nakagawa
- Department of Traumatology and Acute Critical Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan
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Hill Z, Tawiah-Agyemang C, Kirkwood B, Kendall C. Are verbatim transcripts necessary in applied qualitative research: experiences from two community-based intervention trials in Ghana. Emerg Themes Epidemiol 2022; 19:5. [PMID: 35765012 PMCID: PMC9238251 DOI: 10.1186/s12982-022-00115-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conducting qualitative research within public health trials requires balancing timely data collection with the need to maintain data quality. Verbatim transcription of interviews is the conventional way of recording qualitative data, but is time consuming and can severely delay the availability of research findings. Expanding field notes into fair notes is a quicker alternative method, but is not usually recommended as interviewers select and interpret what they record. We used the fair note methodology in Ghana, and found that where research questions are relatively simple, and interviewers undergo sufficient training and supervision, fair notes can decrease data collection and analysis time, while still providing detailed and relevant information to the study team. Interviewers liked the method and felt it made them more reflective and analytical and improved their interview technique. The exception was focus group discussions, where the fair note approach failed to capture the interaction and richness of discussions, capturing group consensus rather than the discussions leading to this consensus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zelee Hill
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, 30 Guilford St., London, WC1N 1EH, UK.
| | | | - Betty Kirkwood
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Carl Kendall
- Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2350, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
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Nakubulwa MA, Greenfield G, Pizzo E, Magusin A, Maconochie I, Blair M, Bell D, Majeed A, Sathyamoorthy G, Woodcock T. To what extent do callers follow the advice given by a non-emergency medical helpline (NHS 111): A retrospective cohort study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267052. [PMID: 35446886 PMCID: PMC9022858 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
National Health Service (NHS) 111 helpline was set up to improve access to urgent care in England, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of first-contact health services. Following trusted, authoritative advice is crucial for improved clinical outcomes. We examine patient and call-related characteristics associated with compliance with advice given in NHS 111 calls. The importance of health interactions that are not face-to-face has recently been highlighted by COVID-19 pandemic. In this retrospective cohort study, NHS 111 call records were linked to urgent and emergency care services data. We analysed data of 3,864,362 calls made between October 2013 and September 2017 relating to 1,964,726 callers across London. A multiple logistic regression was used to investigate associations between compliance with advice given and patient and call characteristics. Caller’s action is ‘compliant with advice given if first subsequent service interaction following contact with NHS 111 is consistent with advice given. We found that most calls were made by women (58%), adults aged 30–59 years (33%) and people in the white ethnic category (36%). The most common advice was for caller to contact their General Practitioner (GP) or other local services (18.2%) with varying times scales. Overall, callers followed advice given in 49% of calls. Compliance with triage advice was more likely in calls for children aged <16 years, women, those from Asian/Asian British ethnicity, and calls made out of hours. The highest compliance was among callers advised to self-care without the need to contact any other healthcare service. This is one of the largest studies to describe pathway adherence following telephone advice and associated clinical and demographic features. These results could inform attempts to improve caller compliance with advice given by NHS 111, and as the NHS moves to more hybrid way of working, the lessons from this study are key to the development of remote healthcare services going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mable Angela Nakubulwa
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Geva Greenfield
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Pizzo
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Magusin
- NHS North and East London Commissioning Support Unit, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Maconochie
- Department of Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Division of Medicine, St. Mary’s Hospital–Imperial College NHS Healthcare Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mitch Blair
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Derek Bell
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Azeem Majeed
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ganesh Sathyamoorthy
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Woodcock
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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18
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Henricson J, Ekelund U, Hartman J, Ziegler B, Kurland L, Björk Wilhelms D. Pathways to the emergency department - a national, cross-sectional study in Sweden. BMC Emerg Med 2022; 22:58. [PMID: 35392826 PMCID: PMC8991881 DOI: 10.1186/s12873-022-00619-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Swedish Emergency Departments (EDs) see 2.6 million visits annually. Sweden has a strong tradition of health care databases, but information on patients' pathways to the ED is not documented in any registry. The aim of this study was to provide a national overview of pathways, degree of medical acuteness according to triage, chief complaints, and hospital admission rates for adult patients (≥18 years) visiting Swedish EDs during 24 h. METHODS A national cross-sectional study including all patients at 43 of Sweden's 72 EDs during 24 h on April 25th, 2018. Pathway to the ED, medical acuteness at triage, admission and basic demographics were registered by dedicated assessors present at every ED for the duration of the study. Descriptive data are reported. RESULTS A total of 3875 adult patients (median age 59; range 18 to 107; 50% men) were included in the study. Complete data for pathway to the ED was reported for 3693 patients (98%). The most common pathway was self-referred walk-in (n = 1310; 34%), followed by ambulance (n = 920; 24%), referral from a general practitioner (n = 497; 1 3%), and telephone referral by the national medical helpline "1177" (n = 409; 10%). In patients 18 to 64 years, self-referred walk-in was most common, whereas transport by ambulance dominated in patients > 64 years. Of the 3365 patients who received a medical acuteness level at triage, 4% were classified as Red (Immediate), 18% as Orange (very urgent), 47% as Yellow (Urgent), 26% as Green (Standard), and 5% as Blue (Non-Urgent). Abdominal or chest pain were the most common chief complaints representing approximately 1/3 of all presentations. Overall, the admission rate was 27%. Arrival by ambulance was associated with the highest rate of admission (53%), whereas walk-in patients and telephone referrals were less often admitted. CONCLUSION Self-referred walk-in was the overall most common pathway followed by ambulance. Patients arriving by ambulance were often elderly, critically ill and often admitted to in-patient care, whereas arrival by self-referred walk-in was more common in younger patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joakim Henricson
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Local Health Care Services in Central Östergötland, Region Östergötland, SE-58185, Linköping, Sweden.
| | - Ulf Ekelund
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jens Hartman
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Bruno Ziegler
- Department of Emergency Medicine Örebro University Hospital, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Lisa Kurland
- Department of Emergency Medicine Örebro University Hospital, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Daniel Björk Wilhelms
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Local Health Care Services in Central Östergötland, Region Östergötland, SE-58185, Linköping, Sweden
- Division of Drug Research, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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Gaughan J, Liu D, Gutacker N, Bloor K, Doran T, Benger JR. Does the presence of general practitioners in emergency departments affect quality and safety in English NHS hospitals? A retrospective observational study. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e055976. [PMID: 35197350 PMCID: PMC8867306 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Emergency departments (EDs) in NHS hospitals in England have faced considerable increases in demand over recent years. Most hospitals have developed general practitioner services in emergency departments (GPEDs) to treat non-emergency patients, aiming to relieve pressure on other staff and to improve ED efficiency and patient experience. We measured the impact of GPED services on patient flows, health outcomes and ED workload. DESIGN Retrospective observational study. Differences in GPED service availability across EDs and time of day were used to identify the causal effect of GPED, as patients attending the ED at the same hour of the day are quasi-randomly assigned to treatment or control groups based on their local ED's service availability. PARTICIPANTS Attendances to 40 EDs in English NHS hospitals from April 2018 to March 2019, 4 441 349 observations. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURED Outcomes measured were volume of attendances, 'non-urgent' attendances, waiting times over 4 hours, patients leaving without being treated, unplanned reattendances within 7 days, inpatient admissions and 30-day mortality. RESULTS We found a small, statistically significant reduction in unplanned reattendances within 7 days (OR 0.968, 95% CI 0.948 to 0.989), equivalent to 302 fewer reattendances per year for the average ED. The clinical impact of this was judged to be negligible. There was no detectable impact on any other outcome measure. CONCLUSIONS We found no adverse effects on patient outcomes; neither did we find any evidence of the hypothesised benefits of placing GPs in emergency settings beyond a marginal reduction in reattendances that was not considered clinically significant.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Gaughan
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK
| | - Dan Liu
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK
| | - Nils Gutacker
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK
| | - Karen Bloor
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
| | - Tim Doran
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
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20
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Hubbard T, Nugent S, Bethune R, Beaton C. Quality improvement project to improve blood test time to results on the acute surgical unit in North Devon District Hospital. BMJ Open Qual 2022; 11:bmjoq-2021-001650. [PMID: 34983803 PMCID: PMC8728445 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hubbard
- Quality Improvement Academy, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK .,Colorectal Department, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnstaple, UK
| | - Sam Nugent
- Colorectal Department, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnstaple, UK
| | - Rob Bethune
- Quality Improvement Academy, Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Exeter, UK
| | - Ceri Beaton
- Colorectal Department, Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, Barnstaple, UK
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21
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Sexton V, Dale J, Bryce C, Barry J, Sellers E, Atherton H. Service use, clinical outcomes and user experience associated with urgent care services that use telephone-based digital triage: a systematic review. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e051569. [PMID: 34980613 PMCID: PMC8724705 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate service use, clinical outcomes and user experience related to telephone-based digital triage in urgent care. DESIGN Systematic review and narrative synthesis. DATA SOURCES Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus were searched for literature published between 1 March 2000 and 1 April 2020. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES Studies of any design investigating patterns of triage advice, wider service use, clinical outcomes and user experience relating to telephone based digital triage in urgent care. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Two reviewers extracted data and conducted quality assessments using the mixed methods appraisal tool. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse findings. RESULTS Thirty-one studies were included, with the majority being UK based; most investigated nurse-led digital triage (n=26). Eight evaluated the impact on wider healthcare service use following digital triage implementation, typically reporting reduction or no change in service use. Six investigated patient level service use, showing mixed findings relating to patients' adherence with triage advice. Evaluation of clinical outcomes was limited. Four studies reported on hospitalisation rates of digitally triaged patients and highlighted potential triage errors where patients appeared to have not been given sufficiently high urgency advice. Overall, service users reported high levels of satisfaction, in studies of both clinician and non-clinician led digital triage, but with some dissatisfaction over the relevance and number of triage questions. CONCLUSIONS Further research is needed into patient level service use, including patients' adherence with triage advice and how this influences subsequent use of services. Further evaluation of clinical outcomes using larger datasets and comparison of different digital triage systems is needed to explore consistency and safety. The safety and effectiveness of non-clinician led digital triage also needs evaluation. Such evidence should contribute to improvement of digital triage tools and service delivery. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42020178500.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanashree Sexton
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Jeremy Dale
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Carol Bryce
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - James Barry
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Elizabeth Sellers
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Helen Atherton
- Unit of Academic Primary Care, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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22
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Alfaleh A, Alkattan A, Alageel A, Salah M, Almutairi M, Sagor K, Alabdulkareem K. The role of telemedicine services in changing users’ intentions for presenting to the emergency departments in Saudi Arabia. Digit Health 2022; 8:20552076221091358. [PMID: 35694122 PMCID: PMC9185009 DOI: 10.1177/20552076221091358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is described as one of the main issues
in any hospital. In Saudi Arabia, the ministry of health applied new
telemedicine technology to serve patients by using the mobile application,
including the Sehha application and 937 medical call center. The main aim of
this study is to determine the role of different telemedicine services in
changing the intention users’ intentions for visiting the emergency
departments in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during August 2020 to May 2021 among
319 patients using two telemedicine services in Saudi Arabia, including the
medical call center and Sehha smartphone application. The primary endpoint
of this study was to determine the number of patients intended to visit ER
before and after contacting one of the two telemedicine services and the
frequency of people who changed their opinion to visit an ED. Results This study analyzed the data from 319 patients who completed the survey
provided by the Saudi Ministry of Health concerning information related to
their health status and ED visits. Among patients that had the intention to
visit the ED (N = 159), 53 of them did not go to EDs after
using telemedicine services (p < 0.01). Regarding the
medical call center and Sehha application, 9.6% and 24.4%, respectively, of
the patients who used these telemedicine services changed their minds
concerning visiting ED after taking the medical advice
(p < 0.01). Conclusions The implemented telemedicine services in Saudi Arabia, namely the Sehha
application and medical call center, could reduce those intended to visit ED
and consequently reduce the overload of EDs by providing medical advice to
patients concerning their minor medical issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amjad Alfaleh
- Department of Research and Development, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- General Director Office, General Directorate of School Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Alkattan
- Department of Research and Development, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Alaa Alageel
- Department of Research and Development, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Salah
- Department of Health Statistics, General Directorate of Primary Health Centers, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mona Almutairi
- Department of Research and Development, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khlood Sagor
- Department of Research and Development, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khaled Alabdulkareem
- Research Department, Assistant Deputy Minister for Primary Healthcare, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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23
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Turner J, Knowles E, Simpson R, Sampson F, Dixon S, Long J, Bell-Gorrod H, Jacques R, Coster J, Yang H, Nicholl J, Bath P, Fall D. Impact of NHS 111 Online on the NHS 111 telephone service and urgent care system: a mixed-methods study. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr09210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
The NHS emergency and urgent care system is under pressure as demand for services increases each year. NHS 111 is a telephone triage service designed to provide advice and signposting to appropriate services for people with urgent health-care problems. A new service, NHS 111 Online, has been introduced across England as a digital alternative that can be accessed using a website or a smartphone application. The effects and usefulness of this service are unknown.
Objectives
To explore the impact of NHS 111 Online on the related telephone service and urgent care system activity and the experiences of people who use those services.
Design and methods
A mixed-methods design of five related work packages comprising an evidence review; a quantitative before-and-after time series analysis of changes in call activity (18/38 sites); a descriptive comparison of telephone and online services with qualitative survey (telephone, n = 795; online, n = 3728) and interview (32 participants) studies of service users; a qualitative interview study (16 participants) of staff; and a cost–consequences analysis.
Results
The online service had little impact on the number of triaged calls to the NHS 111 telephone service. For every 1000 online contacts, triaged telephone calls increased by 1.3% (1.013, 95% confidence interval 0.996 to 1.029; p = 0.127). Recommendations to attend emergency and urgent care services increased between 6.7% and 4.2%. NHS 111 Online users were less satisfied than users of the telephone service (50% vs. 71%; p < 0.001), and less likely to recommend to others (57% vs. 69%; p < 0.001) and to report full compliance with the advice given (67.5% vs. 88%; p < 0.001). Online users were less likely to report contacting emergency services and more likely to report not making any contact with a health service (31% vs. 16%; p < 0.001) within 7 days of contact. Thirty-five per cent of online users reported that they did not want to use the telephone service, whereas others preferred its convenience and speed. NHS 111 telephone staff reported no discernible increase or decrease in their workload during the first year of operation of NHS 111 Online. If online and telephone services operate in parallel, then the annual costs will be higher unless ≥ 38% of telephone contacts move to online contacts.
Conclusions
There is some evidence that the new service has the potential to create new demand. The service has expanded significantly, so it is important to find ways of promoting the right balance in numbers of people who use the online service instead of the telephone service if it is to be effective. There is a clear need and preference by some people for an online service. Better information about when to use this service and improvements to questioning may encourage more uptake.
Limitations
The lack of control arm means that impact could have been an effect of other factors. This work took place during the early implementation phase, so findings may change as the service expands.
Future work
Further development of the online triage process to make it more ‘user friendly’ and to enable users to trust the advice given online could improve use and increase satisfaction. Better understanding of the characteristics of the telephone and online populations could help identify who is most likely to benefit and could improve information about when to use the service.
Trial registration
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN51801112.
Funding
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 9, No. 21. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janette Turner
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma Knowles
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Rebecca Simpson
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Fiona Sampson
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Simon Dixon
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jaqui Long
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Helen Bell-Gorrod
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Richard Jacques
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Joanne Coster
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Hui Yang
- School of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jon Nicholl
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Peter Bath
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- School of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Daniel Fall
- Sheffield Emergency Care Forum, Sheffield, UK
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Kaboli PJ, Augustine MR, Rose DE, Chawla N, Bouchard M, Hebert P. Call Center Remote Triage by Nurse Practitioners Was Associated With Fewer Subsequent Face-to-Face Healthcare Visits. J Gen Intern Med 2021; 36:2315-2322. [PMID: 33501532 PMCID: PMC7837076 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-06536-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2015, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) incorporated nurse practitioners (NPs) into remote triage call centers to supplement registered nurse (RN)-handled calls. OBJECTIVE To assess 7-day healthcare use following telephone triage by NPs compared to RNs. We hypothesized that NP clinical decision ability may reduce follow-up healthcare. DESIGN Retrospective observational comparative effectiveness study of clinical and administrative databases. NP routed calls were matched to RN calls based on chief complaint with propensity score matching and multivariate count data models, adjusting for differences in call severity and patient comorbidity. PARTICIPANTS Callers to a VHA regional call center, April 2015 to March 2019. MAIN MEASURES Primary care, specialty care, and emergency department (ED) visits plus hospitalizations within 7 days. KEY RESULTS NP-handled calls (N = 1554) were matched to RN calls (N = 48,024) for the same chief complaint. NP-handled calls, compared to RNs, had lower comorbidities, fewer hospitalizations, and less urgent complaints. Seven-day healthcare use was lower for NP compared to RN calls for specialty care (0.15 vs. 0.20 visits per person [VPP]; p < 0.001), ED (0.11 vs. 0.27 VPP; p < 0.001), and hospitalizations (0.01 vs. 0.04 VPP; p < 0.001), but not primary care (0.43 vs. 0.42 VPP; p = 0.80). In adjusted analyses, estimated avoided in-person visits per 100 calls routed to NPs were 0.7 primary care visits (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4, 1.0), 2.6 specialty care visits (95% CI 0.0, 5.1), 5.9 ED visits (95% CI 2.7, 9.1), and 1.4 hospital stays (95% CI 0.1, 2.6). Propensity score-matched models comparing NP (N = 1533) to RN (N = 2646) calls had adjusted odds ratios for 7-day healthcare use of 0.75 (primary care), 0.75 (specialty care), and 0.73 (ED) (all p < 0.003). CONCLUSION Incorporating NPs into a call center was associated with lower in-person healthcare use in the subsequent 7 days compared to routine RN-triaged calls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Kaboli
- Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City, VA Office of Rural Health, and Center for Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) at the Iowa City VA Healthcare System, Iowa City, IA USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA USA
| | - Matthew R. Augustine
- Department of Medicine, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, James J Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY USA
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY USA
| | - Danielle E. Rose
- Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, VA HSR&D, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Neetu Chawla
- Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy, VA HSR&D, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Maria Bouchard
- VISN 22 Clinical Contact Center, Greater Los Angeles-Sepulveda Advice Call Center, North Hills, CA USA
| | - Paul Hebert
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA USA
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25
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Lewis J, Stone T, Simpson R, Jacques R, O’Keeffe C, Croft S, Mason S. Patient compliance with NHS 111 advice: Analysis of adult call and ED attendance data 2013-2017. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251362. [PMID: 33970946 PMCID: PMC8109810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The NHS 111 telephone advice and triage service is a vital part of the management of urgent and emergency care (UEC) services in England. Demand for NHS 111 advice has increased since its introduction in 2013, and the service is of particular importance in light of the current pandemic and resulting increased demand for emergency care. Currently, little is known about the effectiveness of NHS 111 in terms of the appropriateness of the advice given, or about the compliance of patients with that advice. We aimed to address this issue by analysing a large linked routine dataset of all NHS 111 calls (n = 3,631,069) and subsequent emergency department (ED) attendances made in the Yorkshire & Humber region from March 2013-March 2017. We found that many patients do not comply with advice, with 11% (n = 289,748) of patients attending ED when they are advised to self-care or seek primary care. We also found that a considerable number of these patients are further classed as urgent (88%, n = 255,931) and a substantial minority (37%, 106,207) are subsequently admitted to hospital. Further, many patients who are sent an ambulance or told to attend ED are classed as non-urgent upon attending ED (9%, n = 42,372). This research suggests that the level at which NHS 111 is currently triaging results in many hundreds of thousands of mis-triaged cases annually. Additionally, patients frequently do not comply with the advice they receive. This has implications for understanding the accuracy and efficiency of triaging systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen Lewis
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Tony Stone
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Simpson
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Jacques
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Colin O’Keeffe
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Susan Croft
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne Mason
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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Islam F, Sabbe M, Heeren P, Milisen K. Consistency of decision support software-integrated telephone triage and associated factors: a systematic review. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2021; 21:107. [PMID: 33743697 PMCID: PMC7981379 DOI: 10.1186/s12911-021-01472-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the recent decades, the use of computerized decision support software (CDSS)-integrated telephone triage (TT) has become an important tool for managing rising healthcare demands and overcrowding in the emergency department. Though these services have generally been shown to be effective, large gaps in the literature exist with regards to the overall quality of these systems. In the current systematic review, we aim to document the consistency of decisions that are generated in CDSS-integrated TT. Furthermore, we also seek to map those factors in the literature that have been identified to have an impact on the consistency of generated triage decisions. Methods As part of the TRANS-SENIOR international training and research network, a systematic review of the literature was conducted in November 2019. PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and the CINAHL database were searched. Quantitative articles including a CDSS component and addressing consistency of triage decisions and/or factors associated with triage decisions were eligible for inclusion in the current review. Studies exploring the use of other types of digital support systems for triage (i.e. web chat, video conferencing) were excluded. Quality appraisal of included studies were performed independently by two authors using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies. Results From a total of 1551 records that were identified, 39 full-texts were assessed for eligibility and seven studies were included in the review. All of the studies (n = 7) identified as part of our search were observational and were based on nurse-led telephone triage. Scientific efforts investigating our first aim was very limited. In total, two articles were found to investigate the consistency of decisions that are generated in CDSS-integrated TT. Research efforts were targeted largely towards the second aim of our study—all of the included articles reported factors related to the operator- (n = 6), patient- (n = 1), and/or CDSS-integrated (n = 2) characteristics to have an influence on the consistency of CDSS-integrated TT decisions. Conclusion To date, some efforts have been made to better understand how the use of CDSS-integrated TT systems may vary across settings. In general, however, the evidence-base surrounding this field of literature is largely inconclusive. Further evaluations must be prompted to better understand this area of research. Protocol registration The protocol for this study is registered in the PROSPERO database (registration number: CRD42020146323). Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12911-021-01472-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farah Islam
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marc Sabbe
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pieter Heeren
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.,Research Foundation Flanders, Egmontstraat 5, 1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Koen Milisen
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. .,Department of Geriatric Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Lewinski AA, Rushton S, Van Voorhees E, Boggan JC, Whited JD, Shoup JP, Tabriz AA, Adam S, Fulton J, Gordon AM, Ear B, Williams JW, Goldstein KM, Van Noord MG, Gierisch JM. Implementing remote triage in large health systems: A qualitative evidence synthesis. Res Nurs Health 2020; 44:138-154. [PMID: 33319411 DOI: 10.1002/nur.22093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Remote triage (RT) allows interprofessional teams (e.g., nurses and physicians) to assess patients and make clinical decisions remotely. RT use has developed widespread interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has future potential to address the needs of a rapidly aging population, improve access to care, facilitate interprofessional team care, and ensure appropriate use of resources. However, despite rapid and increasing interest in implementation of RT, there is little research concerning practices for successful implementation. We conducted a systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis of practices that impact the implementation of RT for adults seeking clinical care advice. We searched MEDLINE®, EMBASE, and CINAHL from inception through July 2018. We included 32 studies in this review. Our review identified four themes impacting the implementation of RT: characteristics of staff who use RT, influence of RT on staff, considerations in selecting RT tools, and environmental and contextual factors impacting RT. The findings of our systemic review underscore the need for a careful consideration of (a) organizational and stakeholder buy-in before launch, (b) physical and psychological workplace environment, (c) staff training and ongoing support, and (d) optimal metrics to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of implementation. Our findings indicate that preimplementation planning, as well as evaluating RT by collecting data during and after implementation, is essential to ensuring successful implementation and continued adoption of RT in a health care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison A Lewinski
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sharron Rushton
- School of Nursing, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elizabeth Van Voorhees
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Joel C Boggan
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - John D Whited
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Amir A Tabriz
- Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Soheir Adam
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jessica Fulton
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Adelaide M Gordon
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Belinda Ear
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - John W Williams
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Karen M Goldstein
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Megan G Van Noord
- Carlson Health Sciences Library, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jennifer M Gierisch
- Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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28
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Lightfoot KL, Burford JH, England GCW, Bowen IM, Freeman SL. Mixed methods investigation of the use of telephone triage within UK veterinary practices for horses with abdominal pain: A Participatory action research study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238874. [PMID: 32966300 PMCID: PMC7510986 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Telephone triage is an integral part of modern patient care systems in human medicine, and a key component of veterinary practice care systems. There is currently no published research on telephone triage within the veterinary profession. OBJECTIVE To investigate current approaches to telephone triage of horses with abdominal pain (colic) in veterinary practice and develop new resources to support decision-making. STUDY DESIGN Participatory action research using mixed-methods approach. METHODS An online survey assessed current approaches to telephone triage of horses with colic in UK veterinary practices. Structured group and individual interviews were conducted with four equine client care (reception) teams on their experiences around telephone triage of colic. Evidence-based resources, including an information pack, decision flow chart and recording form, were developed and implemented within the practices. Participant feedback was obtained through interviews six months after implementation of the resources. RESULTS There were 116 participants in the online survey. Management and client care staff (53/116) felt less confident giving owner advice (p<0.01) and recognising critical indicators (p = 0.03) compared to veterinary surgeons and nurses (63/116). Thirteen themes were identified in the survey relating to owner advice; exercise and owner safety were most frequently mentioned, but conflicting guidance was often given. Fourteen client care staff were interviewed. They were confident recognising colic during a telephone conversation with an owner and identified the most common signs of critical cases as sweating and recumbency. The new resources received positive feedback; the decision flow chart and information on critical indicators were identified as most useful. After resource implementation, there was an increase in confidence in recognising critical cases and giving owners advice. MAIN LIMITATIONS Limited sample population. CONCLUSIONS This study described existing approaches to telephone triage, identified variations in advice given, and worked with client care teams to develop new resources to aid decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie L. Lightfoot
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
| | - John H. Burford
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
| | - Gary C. W. England
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
| | - I. Mark Bowen
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah L. Freeman
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom
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29
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Rocks S, Glogowska M, Stepney M, Tsiachristas A, Fazel M. Introducing a single point of access (SPA) to child and adolescent mental health services in England: a mixed-methods observational study. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:623. [PMID: 32641117 PMCID: PMC7346657 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In many high-income countries, primary care practitioners are the main point of referral for specialist mental health services. In England, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are increasingly adopting a Single Point of Access (SPA) to streamline referrals and introduce self and parent/carer-referrals. This involves a significant shift of responsibility from primary care towards CAMHS who adopt a more active role as gatekeeper for their service. This study evaluates the adoption of a SPA in CAMHS across a large region in England. METHODS We conducted an observational mixed methods study in two CAMHS from January 2018 to March 2019 to evaluate the adoption of a SPA. We collected quantitative data from electronic patient records and qualitative data through ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews of staff and stakeholders with experience of using CAMHS. Additional data on volumes was shared directly from the SPAs and a further snapshot of 1 week's users was collected. RESULTS A similar SPA model emerged across the two services. Staff were positive about what the model could achieve and access rates grew quickly following awareness-raising activities. Despite the initial focus being on a telephone line, online referrals became the more regularly used referral method. Increased access brought challenges in terms of resourcing, including identifying the right staff for the role of call handlers. A further challenge was to impose consistency on triage decisions, which required structured information collection during the assessment process. Similar to GP referrals, those self-referring via the SPA were mainly from the least deprived areas. CONCLUSIONS The introduction of a SPA has the potential to improve young people's access to mental health services. By addressing some of the barriers to access, simplifying where to go to get help and making it easier to contact the service directly, a SPA can help more individuals and families access timely support. However, the introduction of a SPA does not in itself expand the capacity of CAMHS, and therefore expectations within services and across sectors need to be tempered accordingly. SPA services providing different referral approaches can further improve access for the harder to reach populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Rocks
- Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, England
- The Health Foundation, 8 Salisbury Square, London, EC4Y 8AP, England
| | - Margaret Glogowska
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Rd, Oxford, OX2 6GG, England
| | - Melissa Stepney
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Rd, Oxford, OX2 6GG, England
| | - Apostolos Tsiachristas
- Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, England
| | - Mina Fazel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7JX, England.
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30
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Effectiveness of Acute Care Remote Triage Systems: a Systematic Review. J Gen Intern Med 2020; 35:2136-2145. [PMID: 31898116 PMCID: PMC7352001 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-019-05585-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Technology-based systems can facilitate remote decision-making to triage patients to the appropriate level of care. Despite technologic advances, the effects of implementation of these systems on patient and utilization outcomes are unclear. We evaluated the effects of remote triage systems on healthcare utilization, case resolution, and patient safety outcomes. METHODS English-language searches of MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and CINAHL were performed from inception until July 2018. Randomized and nonrandomized comparative studies of remote triage services that reported healthcare utilization, case resolution, and patient safety outcomes were included. Two reviewers assessed study and intervention characteristics independently for study quality, strength of evidence, and risk of bias. RESULTS The literature search identified 5026 articles, of which eight met eligibility criteria. Five randomized, two controlled before-and-after, and one interrupted time series study assessed 3 categories of remote triage services: mode of delivery, triage professional type, and system organizational level. No study evaluated any other delivery mode other than telephone and in-person. Meta-analyses were unable to be performed because of study design and outcome heterogeneity; therefore, we narratively synthesized data. Overall, most studies did not demonstrate a decrease in primary care (PC) or emergency department (ED) utilization, with some studies showing a significant increase. Evidence suggested local, practice-based triage systems have greater case resolution and refer fewer patients to PC or ED services than regional/national systems. No study identified statistically significant differences in safety outcomes. CONCLUSION Our review found limited evidence that remote triage reduces the burden of PC or ED utilization. However, remote triage by telephone can produce a high rate of call resolution and appears to be safe. Further study of other remote triage modalities is needed to realize the promise of remote triage services in optimizing healthcare outcomes. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION This study was registered and followed a published protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42019112262).
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31
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Egan M, Murar F, Lawrence J, Burd H. Identifying the predictors of avoidable emergency department attendance after contact with the NHS 111 phone service: analysis of 16.6 million calls to 111 in England in 2015-2017. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e032043. [PMID: 32152158 PMCID: PMC7066618 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To measure the frequency of patients making avoidable emergency department (ED) attendances after contact with NHS 111 and to examine whether these attendances can be predicted reliably. DESIGN Analysis of 16 563 946 calls made to 111, where each call was linked with a record of whether the patient attended ED within 24 hours. SETTING All regions of England from March 2015 to October 2017. PARTICIPANTS AND DATA Our main regression model used a sample of 10 954 783 calls, each with detailed patient-level information. MAIN OUTCOME Whether patients made an unadvised, non-urgent type 1 ED ('avoidable') attendance within 24 hours of calling 111. RESULTS Of 16 563 946 calls to 111, 12 894 561 (77.8%) were not advised to go to ED (ie, they were advised to either attend primary care, attend another non-ED healthcare service or to self-care). Of the calls where the patient was not advised to go to the ED, 691 783 (5.4%) resulted in the patient making an avoidable ED attendance within 24 hours. Among other factors, calls were less likely to result in these attendances when they received clinical input (adjusted OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.53) but were more likely when the patient was female (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.08) or aged 0-4 years (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.33 to 1.35). CONCLUSIONS For every 20 calls where 111 did not advise people to attend the ED, 1 resulted in avoidable ED attendance within 24 hours. These avoidable attendances could be predicted, to a certain extent, based on call characteristics. It may be possible to use this information to help 111 call handlers identify which callers are at higher risk of these attendances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Egan
- The Behavioural Insights Team, London, UK
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32
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O’Cathain A, Knowles E, Long J, Connell J, Bishop-Edwards L, Simpson R, Coster J, Abouzeid L, Bennett S, Croot E, Dickson JM, Goodacre S, Hirst E, Jacques R, Phillips M, Turnbull J, Turner J. Drivers of ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of emergency and urgent care: the DEUCE mixed-methods study. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr08150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
There is widespread concern about the pressure on emergency and urgent services in the UK, particularly emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments. A mismatch between supply and demand has led to interest in what can be termed ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of services. This is defined by the research team in this study as ‘patients attending services with problems that are classified as suitable for treatment by a lower urgency service or self-care’. This is a challenging issue to consider because patients may face difficulties when deciding the best action to take, and different staff may make different judgements about what constitutes a legitimate reason for service use.
Objectives
To identify the drivers of ‘clinically unnecessary’ use of emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments from patient and population perspectives.
Design
This was a sequential mixed-methods study with three components: a realist review; qualitative interviews (n = 48) and focus groups (n = 3) with patients considered ‘clinically unnecessary’ users of these services, focusing on parents of young children, young adults and people in areas of social deprivation; and a population survey (n = 2906) to explore attitudes towards seeking care for unexpected, non-life-threatening health problems and to identify the characteristics of someone with a tendency for ‘clinically unnecessary’ help-seeking.
Results
From the results of the three study components, we found that multiple, interacting drivers influenced individuals’ decision-making. Drivers could be grouped into symptom related, patient related and health service related. Symptom-related drivers were anxiety or need for reassurance, which were caused by uncertainty about the meaning or seriousness of symptoms; concern about the impact of symptoms on daily activities/functioning; and a need for immediate relief of intolerable symptoms, particularly pain. Patient-related drivers were reduced coping capacity as a result of illness, stress or limited resources; fear of consequences when responsible for another person’s health, particularly a child; and the influence of social networks. Health service-related drivers were perceptions or previous experiences of services, particularly the attractions of emergency departments; a lack of timely access to an appropriate general practitioner appointment; and compliance with health service staff’s advice.
Limitations
Difficulty recruiting patients who had used the ambulance service to the interviews and focus groups meant that we were not able to add as much as we had anticipated to the limited evidence base regarding this service.
Conclusions
Patients use emergency ambulances, emergency departments and same-day general practitioner appointments when they may not need the level of clinical care provided by these services for a multitude of inter-related reasons that sometimes differ by population subgroup. Some of these reasons relate to health services, in terms of difficulty accessing general practice leading to use of emergency departments, and to population-learnt behaviour concerning the positive attributes of emergency departments, rather than to patient characteristics. Social circumstances, such as complex and stressful lives, influence help-seeking for all three services. Demand may be ‘clinically unnecessary’ but completely understandable when service accessibility and patients’ social circumstances are considered.
Future work
There is a need to evaluate interventions, including changing service configuration, strengthening general practice and addressing the stressors that have an impact on people’s coping capacity. Different subgroups may require different interventions.
Study registration
This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017056273.
Funding
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 15. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia O’Cathain
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma Knowles
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jaqui Long
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Janice Connell
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Rebecca Simpson
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Joanne Coster
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | | | - Elizabeth Croot
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jon M Dickson
- Academic Unit of Primary Medical Care, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Steve Goodacre
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Enid Hirst
- Sheffield Emergency Care Forum, Sheffield, UK
| | - Richard Jacques
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | | | - Janette Turner
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Ablard S, Kuczawski M, Sampson FC, Mason SM. What does the ideal urgent and emergency care system look like? A qualitative study of service user perspectives. Emerg Med J 2020; 37:200-205. [PMID: 31919232 PMCID: PMC7146927 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2019-208921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Policies aimed at diverting care from EDs to alternative services have not been successful in reducing ED attendances and have contributed to confusion for service users when making care-seeking decisions. It is important that service users are at the heart of decision making to ensure new services meet the needs of those who will be accessing them. In this study, service users were encouraged to think freely about the desirable qualities of an ideal urgent and emergency care (UEC) system. Methods From September to February 2019, an open inductive methodology was used to conduct focus groups with service users who had used UK UEC services within the previous year. Service users that had contact with NHS111, ambulance service, General Practice out-of-hours, minor injuries unit, walk-in centre or ED were purposively sampled and stratified into the following groups: (1) 18–45 years; (2)≥75 years; (3) adults with young children; (4) adults with long-term conditions. Focus groups were structured around experiences of accessing UEC services and perspectives of an ‘ideal’ UEC system. Results 30 service users took part in the study, across four focus groups. The ideal UEC system centred around three themes: a simplified UEC system (easier to understand and a single-point of access); more ‘joined-up’ UEC services and better communication between health staff and patients. Conclusion Desirable qualities of an ideal UEC system from a service user perspective related to simplifying access for example, through a single point of access system where health professionals decide the appropriate service required and improving continuity of care through better integration of UEC services. Service users value reassurance and communication from health professionals about care pathways and care choices, and this helps service users feel more in control of their healthcare journey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Ablard
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Maxine Kuczawski
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Fiona C Sampson
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Suzanne M Mason
- Centre for Urgent and Emergency Care Research (CURE), ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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34
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Al-rayes SA, Aldossary H, Aldoukhi E, Alahmedalyousif Z, Aldawood G, Alumran A. The awareness and utilization of 937-telephone health services in Saudi Arabia: Cross-sectional survey study. INFORMATICS IN MEDICINE UNLOCKED 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imu.2020.100393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022] Open
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35
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Chambers D, Cantrell AJ, Johnson M, Preston L, Baxter SK, Booth A, Turner J. Digital and online symptom checkers and health assessment/triage services for urgent health problems: systematic review. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e027743. [PMID: 31375610 PMCID: PMC6688675 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES In England, the NHS111 service provides assessment and triage by telephone for urgent health problems. A digital version of this service has recently been introduced. We aimed to systematically review the evidence on digital and online symptom checkers and similar services. DESIGN Systematic review. DATA SOURCES We searched Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Health Management Information Consortium, Web of Science and ACM Digital Library up to April 2018, supplemented by phrase searches for known symptom checkers and citation searching of key studies. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Studies of any design that evaluated a digital or online symptom checker or health assessment service for people seeking advice about an urgent health problem. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Data extraction and quality assessment (using the Cochrane Collaboration version of QUADAS for diagnostic accuracy studies and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute tool for observational studies) were done by one reviewer with a sample checked for accuracy and consistency. We performed a narrative synthesis of the included studies structured around pre-defined research questions and key outcomes. RESULTS We included 29 publications (27 studies). Evidence on patient safety was weak. Diagnostic accuracy varied between different systems but was generally low. Algorithm-based triage tended to be more risk averse than that of health professionals. There was very limited evidence on patients' compliance with online triage advice. Study participants generally expressed high levels of satisfaction, although in mainly uncontrolled studies. Younger and more highly educated people were more likely to use these services. CONCLUSIONS The English 'digital 111' service has been implemented against a background of uncertainty around the likely impact on important outcomes. The health system may need to respond to short-term changes and/or shifts in demand. The popularity of online and digital services with younger and more educated people has implications for health equity. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42018093564.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan Chambers
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Anna J Cantrell
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Maxine Johnson
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Louise Preston
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Susan K Baxter
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Andrew Booth
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Janette Turner
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Chambers D, Cantrell A, Johnson M, Preston L, Baxter SK, Booth A, Turner J. Digital and online symptom checkers and assessment services for urgent care to inform a new digital platform: a systematic review. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr07290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Digital and online symptom checkers and assessment services are used by patients seeking guidance about health problems. NHS England is planning to introduce a digital platform (NHS111 Online) to operate alongside the NHS111 urgent-care telephone service. This review focuses on digital and online symptom checkers for urgent health problems.
Objectives
This systematic review was commissioned to provide NHS England with an independent review of previous research in this area to inform strategic decision-making and service design.
Data sources
Focused searches of seven bibliographic databases were performed and supplemented by phrase searching for names of symptom checker systems and citation searches of key included studies. The bibliographic databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), HMIC (Health Management Information Consortium), Web of Science and the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) Digital Library, from inception up to April 2018.
Review methods
Brief inclusion criteria were (1) population – general population seeking information online or digitally to address an urgent health problem; (2) intervention – any online or digital service designed to assess symptoms, provide health advice and direct patients to appropriate services; and (3) comparator – telephone or face-to-face assessment, comparative performance in tests or simulations (studies with no comparator were included if they reported relevant outcomes). Outcomes of interest included safety, clinical effectiveness, costs or cost-effectiveness, diagnostic and triage accuracy, use of and contacts with health services, compliance with advice received, patient/carer satisfaction, and equity and inclusion. Inclusion was not restricted by study design. Screening studies for inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment were carried out by one reviewer with a sample checked for accuracy and consistency. Final decisions on study inclusion were taken by consensus of the review team. A narrative synthesis of the included studies was performed and structured around the predefined research questions and key outcomes. The overall strength of evidence for each outcome was classified as ‘stronger’, ‘weaker’, ‘conflicting’ or ‘insufficient’, based on study numbers and design.
Results
In total, 29 publications describing 27 studies were included. Studies were diverse in their design and methodology. The overall strength of the evidence was weak because it was largely based on observational studies and with a substantial component of non-peer-reviewed grey literature. There was little evidence to suggest that symptom checkers are unsafe, but studies evaluating their safety were generally short term and small scale. Diagnostic accuracy was highly variable between different systems but was generally low. Algorithm-based triage tended to be more risk averse than that of health professionals. Inconsistent evidence was found on effects on service use. There was very limited evidence on patients’ reactions to online triage advice. The studies showed that younger and more highly educated people are more likely to use these services. Study participants generally expressed high levels of satisfaction with digital and online triage services, albeit in uncontrolled studies.
Limitations
Findings from symptom checker systems for specific conditions may not be applicable to more general systems and vice versa. Studies of symptom checkers as part of electronic consultation systems in general practice were also included, which is a slightly different setting from a general ‘digital 111’ service. Most studies were screened by one reviewer.
Conclusions
Major uncertainties surround the probable impact of digital 111 services on most outcomes. It will be important to monitor and evaluate the services using all available data sources and by commissioning high-quality research.
Future work
Priorities for research include comparisons of different systems, rigorous economic evaluations and investigations of patient pathways.
Study registration
The study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42018093564.
Funding
The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duncan Chambers
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Anna Cantrell
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Maxine Johnson
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Louise Preston
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Susan K Baxter
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Andrew Booth
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Janette Turner
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Turnbull J, McKenna G, Prichard J, Rogers A, Crouch R, Lennon A, Pope C. Sense-making strategies and help-seeking behaviours associated with urgent care services: a mixed-methods study. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr07260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundPolicy has been focused on reducing unnecessary emergency department attendances by providing more responsive urgent care services and guiding patients to ‘the right place’. The variety of services has created a complex urgent care landscape for people to access and navigate.ObjectivesTo describe how the public, providers and policy-makers define and make sense of urgent care; to explain how sense-making influences patients’ strategies and choices; to analyse patient ‘work’ in understanding, navigating and choosing urgent care; to explain urgent care utilisation; and to identify potentially modifiable factors in decision-making.DesignMixed-methods sequential design.SettingFour counties in southern England coterminous with a NHS 111 provider area.MethodsA literature review of policy and research combined with citizens’ panels and serial qualitative interviews. Four citizens’ panels were conducted with the public, health-care professionals, commissioners and managers (n = 41). Three populations were sampled for interview: people aged ≥ 75 years, people aged 18–26 years and East European people. In total, 134 interviews were conducted. Analyses were integrated to develop a conceptual model of urgent care help-seeking.FindingsThe literature review identified some consensus between policy and provider perspectives regarding the physiological factors that feature in conceptualisations of urgent care. However, the terms ‘urgent’ and ‘emergency’ lack specificity or consistency in meaning. Boundaries between urgent and emergency care are ill-defined. We constructed a typology that distinguishes three types of work that take place at both the individual and social network levels in relation to urgent care sense-making and help-seeking.Illness workinvolves interpretation and decision-making about the meaning, severity and management of physical symptoms and psychological states, and the assessment and management of possible risks. Help-seeking was guided bymoral work: the legitimation and sanctioning done by service users.Navigation workconcerned choosing and accessing services and relied on prior knowledge of what was available, accessible and acceptable. From these empirical data, we developed a model of urgent care sense-making and help-seeking behaviour that emphasises that work informs the interaction between what we think and feel about illness and the need to seek care (sense-making) and action – the decisions we take and how we use urgent care (help-seeking).LimitationsThe sample population of our three groups may not have adequately reflected a diverse range of views and experiences. The study enabled us to capture people’s views and self-reported service use rather than their actual behaviour.ConclusionsMuch of the policy surrounding urgent and emergency care is predicated on the notion that ‘urgent’ sits neatly between emergency and routine; however, service users in particular struggle to distinguish urgent from emergency or routine care. Rather than focusing on individual sense-making, future work should attend to social and temporal contexts that have an impact on help-seeking (e.g. why people find it more difficult to manage pain at night), and how different social networks shape service use.Future workA whole-systems approach considering integration across a wider network of partners is key to understanding the complex relationships between demand for and access to urgent care.Study registrationThis study is registered as UKCRN 32207.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Turnbull
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Gemma McKenna
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jane Prichard
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Anne Rogers
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Wessex, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Robert Crouch
- Emergency Department, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS), Southampton, UK
| | - Andrew Lennon
- Southern Headquarters, South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), Winchester, UK
| | - Catherine Pope
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Sen B, Clay H, Wright J, Findlay S, Cratchley A. Impact of Emergency Medicine Consultants and Clinical Advisors on a NHS 111 Clinical Assessment Service. Emerg Med J 2019; 36:208-212. [PMID: 30940680 DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2017-207335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To compare outcome of clinical advice given by emergency physicians (EPs) versus non-physician clinical advisors (NPCAs) on a UK National Health Service 111 centre. METHOD This was a prospective study conducted between July 2016 and February 2017. We targeted calls in which call handlers using standard NHS 111 clinical decision support software would have advised the caller to attend a hospital ED. These calls were passed to a clinical assessment service (CAS) and reviewed by either an EP (July to November 2016) or an NPCA (December 2016 to February 2017). RESULTS During the preintervention year, 80.2% of callers were advised to attend the ED within 1 or 4 hours, 1.2% were referred to out of hours (OOH) primary care and 0.3% to self-care. During the study, call handlers designated 2606 calls as needing to attend the ED in 1 or 4 hours and passed these on to the clinical advisors. There was a reduction of 75%-81% in cases advised to attend the ED in both intervention groups; EPs advised 396 of 1558 callers (25.4%) to attend ED; NPCAs advised 194 of 1048 callers (18.5%) to attend ED. For calls not requiring the ED, EPs recommended self/home care management in 38.1% of these calls, NPCAs recommended self-care for 15.7% (difference=22.4%; 95% CI 19.0% to 25.7%). EPs recommended 4.5% to attend OOH primary care, while NPCAs recommended OOH primary care for 42.1% (difference=37.6%, 95% CI 34.3% to 40.8%). CONCLUSIONS A CAS within NHS 111 using clinicians decreases referrals to the ED. EPs use fewer services and resources. Further work needs to be undertaken to determine the workforce skill mix for an NHS 111 CAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basav Sen
- Emergency Department, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Henry Clay
- Department of Primary Care, Primary Care Foundation UK, Lewes, UK
| | - John Wright
- Emergency Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Stewart Findlay
- NHS Durham Dales Easington and Sedgefield Clinical Commissioning Group, Sedgefield, UK
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Borg K, Wright B, Sannen L, Dumas D, Walker T, Bragge P. Ambulances are for emergencies: shifting attitudes through a research-informed behaviour change campaign. Health Res Policy Syst 2019; 17:31. [PMID: 30922335 PMCID: PMC6437887 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-019-0430-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In Victoria, Australia, emergency calls requesting an ambulance have been increasing at a rate higher than population growth. While most of these calls are for genuine emergencies, many do not require an immediate ambulance response. A collaborative research approach was undertaken to address this issue. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effectiveness of applying a behaviour change approach to this challenge by first addressing antecedents of behaviour (attitudes, awareness and knowledge). Methods The project included a formative research phase to inform the design of a mass media campaign and subsequent evaluation of the campaign. Results Results indicated that the campaign was successful in increasing community attitudes towards ambulances as being for emergencies only, particularly among those familiar with the campaign material and with other health service options (such as telephone advice lines). Conclusions These findings provide support for adopting the Forum approach to increase the chances that a mass media campaign will achieve its stated objectives. Recommendations for future campaign activities are discussed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12961-019-0430-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Borg
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, 8 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
| | - Breanna Wright
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, 8 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Liz Sannen
- Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | | | - Peter Bragge
- BehaviourWorks Australia, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, 8 Scenic Boulevard, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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Foster H, Macdonald S, Patterson C, O'Donnell CA. No such thing as bad publicity? A quantitative content analysis of print media representations of primary care out-of-hours services. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e023192. [PMID: 30910877 PMCID: PMC6475237 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore how out-of-hours primary healthcare services (OOHS) are represented in UK national newspapers, focusing on content and tone of reporting and the use of personal narratives to frame stories. DESIGN A retrospective cross-sectional quantitative content analysis of articles published in 2005, 2010 and 2015. DATA SOURCES Nexis database used to search 10 UK national newspapers covering quality, middle-market and tabloid publications. INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA All articles containing the terms 'out-of-hours' (≥3 mentions per article) or ('NHS 24' OR 'NHS 111' OR 'NHS Direct') AND 'out-of-hours' (≥1 mention per article) were included. Letters, duplicate news items, opinion pieces and articles without a substantial portion of the story (>50% of an article's word count, as judged by researchers) concerning OOHS were excluded. RESULTS 332 newspaper articles were identified: 113 in 2005 (34.1%), 140 in 2010 (42.2%) and 79 in 2015 (23.8%). Of these, 195 (58.7%) were in quality newspapers, 99 (29.8%) in middle-market and 38 (11.3%) in tabloids. The most commonly reported themes were OOHS organisation, personal narratives and telephone triage. Stories about service-level crises and personal tragedy, including unsafe doctors and missed or delayed identification of rare conditions, predominated. The majority of articles (252, 75.9%) were negative in tone. This was observed for all included newspapers and by publication genre; middle-market newspapers had the highest percentage of negative articles (Pearson χ2=35.72, p<0.001). Articles presented little supporting contextual information, such as call rates per annum, or advice on how to access OOHS. CONCLUSION In this first reported analysis of UK national newspaper coverage of OOHS, media representation is generally negative in tone, with frequent reports of 'negative exemplars' of OOHS crises and fatal individual patient cases with little or no contextualisation. We present recommendations for the future reporting of OOHS, which could apply to the reporting of healthcare services more generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish Foster
- General Practice and Primary Care, Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Sara Macdonald
- General Practice and Primary Care, Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Chris Patterson
- MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Catherine A O'Donnell
- General Practice and Primary Care, Institute of Health & Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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Knowles E, Shephard N, Stone T, Bishop-Edwards L, Hirst E, Abouzeid L, Mason S, Nicholl J. Closing five Emergency Departments in England between 2009 and 2011: the closED controlled interrupted time-series analysis. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr06270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundIn recent years, a number of emergency departments (EDs) have closed or have been replaced by another facility such as an urgent care centre. With further reorganisation of EDs expected, this study aimed to provide research evidence to inform the public, the NHS and policy-makers when considering local closures.ObjectiveTo understand the impact of ED closures/downgrades on populations and emergency care providers.DesignA controlled interrupted time series of monthly data to assess changes in the patterns of mortality in local populations and changes in local emergency care service activity and performance, following the closure of type 1 EDs.SettingThe populations of interest were in the resident catchment areas of five EDs that closed between 2009 and 2011 (in Newark, Hemel Hempstead, Bishop Auckland, Hartlepool and Rochdale) and of five control areas.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome measures were ambulance service incident volumes and times, the number of emergency and urgent care attendances at EDs, the number of emergency hospital admissions, mortality, and case fatality ratios.Data sourcesData were sourced from the Office for National Statistics, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) accident and emergency, HES admitted patient care and ambulance service computer-aided dispatch records.ResultsThere was significant heterogeneity among sites in the results for most of the outcome measures, but the overall findings were as follows: there is evidence of an increase, on average, in the total number of incidents attended by an ambulance following 999 calls, and those categorised as potentially serious emergency incidents; there is no statistically reliable evidence of changes in the number of attendances at emergency or urgent care services or emergency hospital admissions; there is no statistically reliable evidence of any change in the number of deaths from a set of emergency conditions following the ED closure in any site, although, on average, there was a small increase in an indicator of the ‘risk of death’ in the closure areas compared with the control areas.LimitationsUnavailable or unreliable data hindered some of the analysis regarding ED and ambulance service performance.ConclusionsOverall, across the five areas studied, there was no statistically reliable evidence that the reorganisation of emergency care was associated with an increase in population mortality. This suggests that any negative effects caused by increased journey time to the ED can be offset by other factors; for example, if other new services are introduced and care becomes more effective than it used to be, or if the care received at the now-nearest hospital is more effective than that provided at the hospital where the ED closed. However, there may be implications of reorganisation for NHS emergency care providers, with ambulance services appearing to experience a greater burden.Future workUnderstanding why effects vary between sites is necessary. It is also necessary to understand the impact on patient experience. Economic evaluation to understand the cost implications of such reorganisation is also desirable.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Knowles
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Neil Shephard
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Tony Stone
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Enid Hirst
- Sheffield Emergency Care Forum, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Suzanne Mason
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jon Nicholl
- School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Shaw S, Wherton J, Vijayaraghavan S, Morris J, Bhattacharya S, Hanson P, Campbell-Richards D, Ramoutar S, Collard A, Hodkinson I, Greenhalgh T. Advantages and limitations of virtual online consultations in a NHS acute trust: the VOCAL mixed-methods study. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr06210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThere is much enthusiasm from clinicians, industry and the government to utilise digital technologies and introduce alternatives to face-to-face consultations.Objective(s)To define good practice and inform digital technology implementation in relation to remote consultations via Skype™ (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA) and similar technologies.DesignMultilevel mixed-methods study of remote video consultations (micro level) embedded in an organisational case study (meso level), taking account of the national context and wider influences (macro level).SettingThree contrasting clinical settings (Diabetes, Antenatal Diabetes and Cancer Surgery) in a NHS acute trust.Data collection and analysisMacro level – interviews with 12 national-level stakeholders combined with document analysis. Meso level – longitudinal organisational ethnography comprising over 300 hours of observations, 24 staff interviews and analysis of 16 documents. Micro level – 30 video-recorded remote consultations; 17 matched audio-recorded face-to-face consultations. Interview and ethnographic data were analysed thematically and theorised using strong structuration theory. Consultations were transcribed verbatim and analysed using the Roter interaction analysis system (RIAS), producing descriptive statistics on different kinds of talk and interaction.ResultsPolicy-makers viewed remote video consultations as a way of delivering health care efficiently in the context of rising rates of chronic illness and growing demand for services. However, the reality of establishing such services in a busy and financially stretched NHS acute trust proved to be far more complex and expensive than anticipated. Embedding new models of care took much time and many resources, and required multiple workarounds. Considerable ongoing effort was needed to adapt and align structures, processes and people within clinics and across the organisation. For practical and safety reasons, virtual consultations were not appropriate for every patient or every consultation. By the end of this study, between 2% and 20% of all consultations were being undertaken remotely in participating clinics. Technical challenges in setting up such consultations were typically minor, but potentially prohibitive. When clinical, technical and practical preconditions were met, virtual consultations appeared to be safe and were popular with both patients and staff. Compared with face-to-face consultations, virtual consultations were very slightly shorter, patients did slightly more talking and both parties sometimes needed to make explicit things that typically remained implicit in a traditional encounter. Virtual consultations appeared to work better when the clinician and the patient knew and trusted each other. Some clinicians used Skype adaptively to support ad hoc clinician-initiated and spontaneous patient-initiated encounters. Other clinicians chose not to use the new service model at all.ConclusionsVirtual consultations appear to be safe, effective and convenient for patients who are preselected by their clinicians as ‘suitable’, but such patients represent a small fraction of clinic workloads. There are complex challenges to embedding virtual consultation services within routine practice in the NHS. Roll-out (across the organisation) and scale-up (to other organisations) are likely to require considerable support.LimitationsThe focus on a single NHS organisation raises questions about the transferability of findings, especially quantitative data on likely uptake rates.Future researchFurther studies on the micro-analysis of virtual consultations and on the spread and scale-up of virtual consulting services are planned.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Shaw
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joseph Wherton
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Trisha Greenhalgh
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Grossman A, Kim NY, Stagnell S, Allen Y, Shah S. Assessment of public and professional perceptions of access to unscheduled dental care. Br Dent J 2018; 224:815-820. [DOI: 10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Chaos. Br J Gen Pract 2018; 68:36. [DOI: 10.3399/bjgp17x694313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
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Coster JE, Turner JK, Bradbury D, Cantrell A. Why Do People Choose Emergency and Urgent Care Services? A Rapid Review Utilizing a Systematic Literature Search and Narrative Synthesis. Acad Emerg Med 2017; 24:1137-1149. [PMID: 28493626 PMCID: PMC5599959 DOI: 10.1111/acem.13220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Rising demand for emergency and urgent care services is well documented, as are the consequences, for example, emergency department (ED) crowding, increased costs, pressure on services, and waiting times. Multiple factors have been suggested to explain why demand is increasing, including an aging population, rising number of people with multiple chronic conditions, and behavioral changes relating to how people choose to access health services. The aim of this systematic mapping review was to bring together published research from urgent and emergency care settings to identify drivers that underpin patient decisions to access urgent and emergency care. METHODS Systematic searches were conducted across Medline (via Ovid SP), EMBASE (via Ovid), The Cochrane Library (via Wiley Online Library), Web of Science (via the Web of Knowledge), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; via EBSCOhost). Peer-reviewed studies written in English that reported reasons for accessing or choosing emergency or urgent care services and were published between 1995 and 2016 were included. Data were extracted and reasons for choosing emergency and urgent care were identified and mapped. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and findings were reported qualitatively using framework-based narrative synthesis. RESULTS Thirty-eight studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were set in the United Kingdom (39.4%) or the United States (34.2%) and reported results relating to ED (68.4%). Thirty-nine percent of studies utilized qualitative or mixed research designs. Our thematic analysis identified six broad themes that summarized reasons why patients chose to access ED or urgent care. These were access to and confidence in primary care; perceived urgency, anxiety, and the value of reassurance from emergency-based services; views of family, friends, or healthcare professionals; convenience (location, not having to make appointment, and opening hours); individual patient factors (e.g., cost); and perceived need for emergency medical services or hospital care, treatment, or investigations. CONCLUSIONS We identified six distinct reasons explaining why patients choose to access emergency and urgent care services: limited access to or confidence in primary care; patient perceived urgency; convenience; views of family, friends, or other health professionals; and a belief that their condition required the resources and facilities offered by a particular healthcare provider. There is a need to examine demand from a whole system perspective to gain better understanding of demand for different parts of the emergency and urgent care system and the characteristics of patients within each sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne E. Coster
- School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR)University of SheffieldSheffield
| | - Janette K. Turner
- School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR)University of SheffieldSheffield
| | - Daniel Bradbury
- School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR)University of SheffieldSheffield
- Northampton General Hospital NHS TrustNorthamptonUK
| | - Anna Cantrell
- School for Health and Related Research (ScHARR)University of SheffieldSheffield
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Pope C, Turnbull J, Jones J, Prichard J, Rowsell A, Halford S. Has the NHS 111 urgent care telephone service been a success? Case study and secondary data analysis in England. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e014815. [PMID: 28576895 PMCID: PMC5623427 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To explore the success of the introduction of the National Health Service (NHS) 111 urgent care service and describe service activity in the period 2014-2016. DESIGN Comparative mixed method case study of five NHS 111 service providers and analysis of national level routine data on activity and service use. SETTINGS AND DATA Our primary research involved five NHS 111 sites in England. We conducted 356 hours of non-participant observation in NHS 111 call centres and the urgent care centres and, linked to these observations, held 6 focus group interviews with 47 call advisors, clinical and managerial staff. This primary research is augmented by a secondary analysis of routine data about the 44 NHS 111 sites in England contained in the NHS 111 Minimum Data Set made available by NHS England. RESULTS Opinions vary depending on the criteria used to judge the success of NHS 111. The service has been rolled out across 44 sites. The 111 phone number is operational and the service has replaced its predecessor NHS Direct. This new service has led to changes in who does the work of managing urgent care demand, achieving significant labour substitution. Judged against internal performance criteria, the service appears not to meet some targets such as call answering times, but it has seen a steady increase in use over time. Patients appear largely satisfied with NHS 111, but the view from some stakeholders is more mixed. The impact of NHS 111 on other health services is difficult to assess and cost-effectiveness has not been established. CONCLUSION The new urgent care service NHS 111 has been brought into use but its success against some key criteria has not been comprehensively proven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Pope
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Joanne Turnbull
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jeremy Jones
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jane Prichard
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Ali Rowsell
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Susan Halford
- Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Turnbull J, Prichard J, Pope C, Brook S, Rowsell A. Risk work in NHS 111: the everyday work of managing risk in telephone assessment using a computer decision support system. HEALTH RISK & SOCIETY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/13698575.2017.1324946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Turnbull
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Jane Prichard
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Catherine Pope
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Simon Brook
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Alison Rowsell
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Kraaijvanger N, van Leeuwen H, Rijpsma D, Edwards M. Motives for self-referral to the emergency department: a systematic review of the literature. BMC Health Serv Res 2016; 16:685. [PMID: 27938366 PMCID: PMC5148909 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-016-1935-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In several western countries patients' use of Emergency Departments (EDs) is increasing. A substantial number of patients is self-referred, but does not need emergency care. In order to have more influence on unnecessary self-referral, it is essential to know why patients visit the ED without referral. The goal of this systematic review therefore is to explore what motivates self-referred patients in those countries to visit the ED. METHODS Recommendations from the PRISMA were used to search and analyze the literature. The following databases; PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane Library, were systematically searched from inception up to the first of February 2015. The reference lists of the included articles were screened for additional relevant articles. All studies that reported on the motives of self-referred patients to visit an ED were selected. The reasons for self-referral were categorized into seven main themes: health concerns, expected investigations; convenience of the ED; lesser accessibility of primary care; no confidence in general practitioner/primary care; advice from others and financial considerations. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed. RESULTS Thirty publications were identified from the literature studied. The most reported themes for self-referral were 'health concerns' and 'expected investigations': 36% (95% Confidence Interval 23-50%) and 35% (95% CI 20-51%) respectively. Financial considerations most often played a role in the United States with a reported percentage of 33% versus 4% in other countries (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Worldwide, the most important reasons to self-refer to an ED are health concerns and expected investigations. Financial considerations mainly play a role in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Kraaijvanger
- Emergency Department, Rijnstate Hospital, Wagnerlaan 55, Arnhem, The Netherlands
| | - Henk van Leeuwen
- Department of Intensive Care / Internal Medicine, Rijnstate Hospital, Wagnerlaan 55, Arnhem, The Netherlands
| | - Douwe Rijpsma
- Emergency Department, Rijnstate Hospital, Wagnerlaan 55, Arnhem, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Edwards
- Department of Surgery, Radboud University Medical Centre, Geert Grooteplein-Zuid 10, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Knowles E, O'Cathain A, Turner J, Nicholl J. Effect of a national urgent care telephone triage service on population perceptions of urgent care provision: controlled before and after study. BMJ Open 2016; 6:e011846. [PMID: 27742622 PMCID: PMC5073559 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To measure the effect of an urgent care telephone service NHS 111 on population perceptions of urgent care. DESIGN Controlled before and after population survey, using quota sampling to identify 2000 respondents reflective of the age/sex profile of the general population. SETTING England. 4 areas where NHS 111 was introduced, and 3 control areas where NHS 111 had yet to be introduced. PARTICIPANTS 28 071 members of the general population, including 2237 recent users of urgent care. INTERVENTION NHS 111 offers advice to members of the general population seeking urgent care, recommending the best service to use or self-management. Policymakers introduced NHS 111 to improve access to urgent care. OUTCOMES MEASURES The primary outcome was change in satisfaction with recent urgent care use 9 months after the launch of NHS 111. Secondary outcomes were change in satisfaction with urgent care generally and with the national health service. RESULTS The overall response rate was 28% (28 071/100 408). 8% (2237/28 071) had used urgent care in the previous 3 months. Of the 652 recent users of urgent care in the NHS 111 intervention areas, 9% (60/652) reported calling NHS 111 in the 'after' period. There was no evidence that the introduction of NHS 111 was associated with a changed perception of recent urgent care. For example, the percentage rating their experience as excellent remained at 43% (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.37). Similarly, there was no change in population perceptions of urgent care generally (1.06, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.17) or the NHS (0.94, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.05) following the introduction of NHS 111. CONCLUSIONS A new telephone triage service did not improve perceptions of urgent care or the health service. This could be explained by the small amount of NHS 111 activity in a large emergency and urgent care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Knowles
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - A O'Cathain
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - J Turner
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - J Nicholl
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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