SP9.1.4 Performance and Cost-Effectiveness of a Virtual Consultation Clinic for 2-Week-Wait Colorectal Cancer Referrals – A Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Aims

Measure performance and cost effectiveness of a Virtual Consultation (VC) clinic, compared to face-to-face (FF) clinic, for 2-week-wait (2WW) colorectal cancer (CRC) referrals, which did not meet the criteria for nurse-led Telephone Assessment Service.

Methods

2WW CRC referrals were triaged by a colorectal surgeon to either a doctor-led VC or FF clinic. Demographics, referral indications, and primary outcome measures (time to clinic/results; investigation type; cancer detection rate) were compared pre-pandemic (November 2019–January 2020) and during the pandemic (May–June 2021).

Results

158 (pre-pandemic) and 160 (pandemic) consecutive patients were analysed, with no difference in age (74 vs. 75 years, p=0.936). During the pandemic, patients were referred with an increased number of positive FIT tests (29 vs. 13%, p<0.001), were more likely to have computerised tomography (65 vs. 45%, p=0.003), had a longer time from referral to clinic assessment (10 vs. 8 days, p=0.002), but were informed of results more promptly (59 vs. 138 days, p<0.001) than pre-pandemic patients. During the pandemic patients were assessed earlier via VC than FF clinics (9 vs. 11 days, p=0.049). There were no significant differences in cancer detection rate pre or during the pandemic (12 vs. 8%, p=0.187), or between VC and FF clinic during the pandemic (6 vs. 12%, p=0.294). Cost effective analysis showed £15,000 per annum saving with doctor-led VC clinic.

Conclusion

Virtual consultation for 2WW CRC referrals may improve efficiency without compromising the cancer detection rate, as well as reducing risk of Covid-19 transmission and being more cost effective.

SP4.2.1 Emergency management of lower GI bleeds: a full-cycle audit of practice at a district general hospital

Introduction

Lower GI bleeds (LGIB) are a common cause of emergency surgical admission. National Guidelines on the management of LGIB were published by the British Society of Gastroenterologists (BSG) in 2019. The aim of our audit was to determine whether local practice of managing LGIB adhered to these guidelines.

Method

Our initial audit cycle retrospectively reviewed 47 patients with LGIB who had presented to our Hospital. Subsequently, a departmental teaching session was conducted and posters outlining BSG guidelines were placed on surgical wards and the surgical assessment unit. A re-audit of local practice was prospectively undertaken with 30 patients.

Results

In the initial audit cycle 37/47 (78.7%) patients had a major LGIB (Oakland score >8) where admission is advised. Of these, 6 (16%) were discharged on the same day. Of the 10/47 (21.3%) patients who had a minor LGIB, 6 (60%) were discharged on the same day. In the re-audit cycle, 29/30 (96.7%) patients had a major LGIB and 1/30 had a minor LGIB, none of these patients were discharged on the same day. The re-audit population had a higher rate of inpatient endoscopy, 66.7% vs 14.9%. 50% of unstable patients had a CT angiogram on admission in the re-audit vs 0% patients in the first cycle.

Discussion

Following education, compliance to BSG guidelines improved. Discharges in patients with major LGIB reduced to zero following this audit and more patients received appropriate inpatient investigations. Further work is required to see if change in local practice has an impact on clinical outcomes.

Which Electronic Health Record System Should We Use? A Systematic Review

The UK government had intended to introduce a comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) system in England by 2020. These EHRs would run across primary, secondary, and social care, linking data in a single digital platform. The objectives of this systematic review were to identify studies that compare EHR in terms of direct comparison between systems and to evaluate them using System and Software Quality Requirements and Evaluation (SQuaRE) ISO/IEC 25010. A systematic review was performed by searching Embase and Ovid MEDLINE databases between 1974 and April 2021. All original studies that appraised EHR systems and their providers were included. The main outcome measures were EHR system comparison and the eight characteristics of SQuaRE: functional suitability, performance efficiency, compatibility, usability, reliability, security, maintainability, and portability. A total of 724 studies were identified using the search criteria. After a review of titles and abstracts, this was filtered down to 40 studies as per the exclusion and inclusion criteria set out in our study. Seven studies compared more than one EHR. The following number of studies looked at the various aspects of the SQuaRE, respectively - 19 studies: functional suitability, performance efficiency: 18 studies, compatibility: 12 studies, usability: 25 studies, reliability: 6 studies, security: 2 studies, maintainability: 16 studies, portability: 13 studies. Epic was the most studied EHR system and one of the most implemented systems in the US market and one of the top ten in the UK. It is difficult to assess which is the most advantageous EHR system when they are assessed by SQuaRE's 8 characteristics for software evaluation.

The turning point

A great number of dentists recognise the conflict between running a viable business and providing dental care to the same level they had been taught as students. This Personal View recounts the experiences of one general dental practitioner, but the feelings expressed have a universality that many will recognise.

Pre-operative visits by ITU nurses: recommendations for practice

Pre-operative visiting by theatre nurses is now policy in many hospitals, following an explosion of research studies outlining the benefits to the patient. However, the author could find very little available literature on pre-operative visiting by intensive therapy unit (ITU) nurses, to patients electively admitted to ITU following surgery. The purpose of this project is to explore the need for patient information, outline the aims of an ITU nurse's pre-operative visit, and discuss the timing of the proposed visit, the information to give the patient, the inclusion of the patient's family and the provision of printed literature. Finally, recommendations are made for implementing a pre-operative visiting service by ITU nurses.

Clinical significance of human papillomavirus infection of the uterine cervix in the development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

A group of 25 controls and 30 women with lesions of the cervix associated with papillomavirus were studied prospectively by colposcopy and cytology for up to two years to investigate the relation between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection of the cervix and resolution or progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). We found that the viral changes were transient and that active infection, as judged by repeated colposcopic and cytological examination, resolved in 83% of the patients. Resolution or persistence of the viral infection did not appear to affect the development of the CIN lesion. The proportion of CIN lesions that resolved and persisted were the same for the study group and the controls. Possible reactivation of latent papillomavirus was noted in three control group patients. Our findings indicate that changes in the cervix associated with papillomavirus should not influence the clinical management or follow up of patients with CIN.