Reducing surgical outpatient waiting is not the solution to meeting the 2005 colorectal cancer target
Autor: | Christopher Hudson, G. N. Rao, P. S. Basnyat, R. Insall, N. Taffinder |
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Rok vydání: | 2006 |
Předmět: |
Waiting time
medicine.medical_specialty Waiting Lists Referral medicine.diagnostic_test business.industry Colorectal cancer Time to first treatment General surgery Gastroenterology Colonoscopy medicine.disease Ambulatory Care Facilities United Kingdom Surgery medicine Rapid access Humans Outpatient clinic Colorectal Neoplasms business Referral and Consultation Barium enema |
Zdroj: | Colorectal Disease. 8:135-139 |
ISSN: | 1463-1318 1462-8910 |
Popis: | Objectives The majority of colorectal cancers (CRC) are not diagnosed through the Rapid access route (RAR) and follow-ups (FU) may prolong outpatient-waiting time for new referrals. The aim of this study was to assess the relative contributions of an efficient colorectal clinic and a stringent colonoscopy booking system on the total journey time for CRC. Patients and methods We reduced the number of follow-up appointments with the introduction of ‘Paper clinics’. The composition of the new clinic was determined by the known cancer yield through RAR and non-RAR route. A prospective analysis of clinics and CRC journey times was undertaken from November 2003 for 13 months, with the new outpatient clinic template introduced in December 2003. This coincided with a stringent policy on referral pattern for colonoscopy. Results In our hospital, only 4% of RAR yield CRC. Seventy-five percent of our CRC are referred through the non-RAR route. Eighty-one percent of follow-ups in a ‘paper clinic’ were discharged. A flexible template for the outpatient clinics, introduced a corresponding reduction in follow-up and increased urgent and routine slots. There was a progressive drop in the follow-up to new ratio and the waiting times for routine and urgent category decreased from a median of 15.9 and 3.4 weeks to 6.7 and 0.7 weeks, respectively (P |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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