scholarly journals Evaluation of the Manchester COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES)

Eye ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahul Kanabar ◽  
Wendy Craven ◽  
Helen Wilson ◽  
Rebecca Rietdyke ◽  
Felipe Dhawahir-Scala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sustained Reduction ◽  
Benign Nature ◽  
Care Activity ◽  
Primary Care Activity ◽  
High Level ◽  
To Receive

Abstract Introduction Pressure on capacity in ophthalmology alongside the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the development of the COVID-19 Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES), allowing patients to receive a prompt ophthalmic consultation, including remotely. The aim of this study was to conduct a service evaluation of CUES in Manchester. Methods Data were collected both prospectively and retrospectively from both primary and secondary care over an 8-week period from June to August 2020. Results In primary care CUES in Greater Manchester (GM) 2461 patients were assessed, with a majority self-referring to the service (68.7%, n = 1844). 91.7% of cases initially screened for CUES were deemed eligible and given a telemedicine appointment in GM; 53.3% of these cases required face-to-face consultation. 14.3% of cases seen within in GM CUES (351 out of 2461) were provisionally referred to secondary care. Contemporaneously the main provider emergency eyecare department (EED) attendances were reduced by 37.7% per month between April and December 2020 inclusive, compared to the same months in 2019. Patients attending a CUES face-to-face assessment were more likely to have a diagnosis in agreement with secondary care, compared to patients referred in from telemedicine assessment only (P < 0.05). Conclusion This evaluation of CUES demonstrates a high level of primary care activity alongside a sustained reduction in EED cases. The case-mix of patients seen within EED following referral appears to be of a less benign nature than those cases seen prior to the introduction of CUES.

Patient and clinician satisfaction with video consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: an opportunity for a new way of working

2020 ◽  
pp. 146531252097367
Author(s):  
Emer Byrne ◽  
Simon Watkinson
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Remote Consultation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
The Future ◽  
Clinician Satisfaction ◽  
High Level ◽  
Remote Consultations

Objective: To assess satisfaction of patients and clinicians with virtual appointments using Attend Anywhere for their orthodontic consultation and to identify any areas where the technology could be further utilised. Design: Service evaluation involving descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire. Setting: Orthodontic Departments at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital and Burnley General Teaching Hospital. Participants: Patients and clinicians involved in video consultations. Methods: Patient- and clinician-specific questionnaires were designed and those involved in virtual clinics were invited to complete these at the end of their consultation. The questionnaires focused on setting up and connecting to the virtual clinic, assessing if the correct types of patients were involved in the clinics and satisfaction with these types of remote consultations. Results: A total of 121 questionnaires (59 patient and 62 clinician) were completed. Of the patients, 93% found the instructions provided to access the consultation easy to follow and 70% of clinicians did not report any connection issues. In 90% of cases, a virtual appointment was seen to be appropriate by the clinician. Respondents showed a high level of satisfaction with 76% of patients saying a remote consultation was more convenient than face-to-face, and 66% reporting they would, if appropriate, like more appointments like this in the future. Conclusion: The overall satisfaction among patients with virtual clinics introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic was generally high. The majority of patients would, where appropriate, prefer more virtual appointments in the future in comparison to face-to-face appointments and it was found to be more convenient for the patient.

scholarly journals EP.FRI.422 Over 100,000 COVID-19 deaths calls for a radical reform of health and care system in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shruti Bodapati ◽  
Raghvinder Gambhir
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Radical Reform ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Excess Deaths ◽  
Care System

Abstract Aim With over 100,000 deaths due to COVID 19 and still counting, is it a wake-up call to overhaul our health and care system. Methods Review of NHS England, Office of National Statistics (ONS) and Public Health England (PHE) data to determine where the deaths occurred and what role did the primary care, secondary care, play in delivering the service. Results The data shows that it took 40 weeks to get to the first 50,000 deaths and just another 10 weeks to add another 50,000 deaths. Among the OECD UK ranked number 1 for deaths due to COVID 19.  69.9%   of deaths occurred in hospitals, 24.1% in care homes, while 4.9% occurred at homes. The primary care effectively remained shut for face to face consultation, effectively leaving people to manage themselves at home on their own or reach A & E when things got worse. The hospitals where overwhelmed and coped by shutting out all elective work and converting normal wards to COVID wards and that is where the maximum deaths occurred. There were over 80000 excess deaths above the five-year average. Conclusion We may have been underprepared for the first wave but had the PPE and plans to battle the second wave yet we had the highest mortality in Europe. Is it a price we paid for our disjointed health and care system. There is a need for radical changes to prepare for future disasters.

scholarly journals Acceptability of Physician Associate Interns in Primary Care: Results from a Service Evaluation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Cottrell ◽  
Victoria Silverwood ◽  
Alex Strivens-Joyce ◽  
Lucy Minshull ◽  
John J Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practitioner ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Primary Care Workforce ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
One Year ◽  
Primary Care Practices

Abstract Background: Physician associates (PA) form part of the policy-driven response to increased primary care demand and a general practitioner recruitment and retention crisis. However, they are novel to the primary care workforce, have limitations such as being unable to prescribe and order ionising radiation investigations, and there are very limited directly-relevant data to guide the integration of PAs into primary care. To address this, a novel internship scheme was established in Staffordshire to support PAs entering primary care. This evaluation was designed to establish the acceptability of Physician Associate (PA) Interns within primary care.Methods: The Staffordshire PA Internship (SPAI) scheme was introduced in Staffordshire in 2017. PAs were concurrently working in primary and secondary care posts for one year, with protected weekly education sessions to equip them for work in primary care. Within the nine primary care practices hosting 10 PA interns in the first two cohorts, the PA interns, supervising GPs and practice managers, and patients who attended an appointment with a PA intern were invited to participate in the evaluation.Results: By evaluation end, eight of the ten PAs had completed the internship. Overall PA interns were acceptable to practices and patients, however there was ambiguity about the PA role itself, and how best to communicate this, as well as how to operationalise their roles. An expectation-preparedness gap was identified for PAs working in primary care. This resulted in high levels of supervision required for PA interns early within the internship. The internship provided a platform upon which the expectation-preparedness gap could be closed and made the high supervision requirements more acceptable to practices.Conclusions: This test-of-concept SPAI has highlighted that, to ensure successful integration of new PAs into primary care and to support them to reach their full potential, commitments to longer-term, sustainable, cohesive and appropriately funded schemes, including structured and standardised education and supervision, need to be delivered. Without such investment, there is a risk that acceptability of PAs in primary care, and PAs’ views of primary care careers, will be undermined before the profession has attained its full potential.

Perceived Barriers, Benefits, and Motives for Physical Activity: Two Primary-Care Physical Activity Prescription Programs

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asmita Patel ◽  
Grant M. Schofield ◽  
Gregory S. Kolt ◽  
Justin W.L. Keogh
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Factor Scores ◽  
Activity Factor ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Care Activity ◽  
Primary Care Activity

This study examined whether perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity differed based on allocation to 2 different types of primary-care activity-prescription programs (pedometer-based vs. time-based Green Prescription). Eighty participants from the Healthy Steps study completed a questionnaire that assessed their perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity. Factor analysis was carried out to identify common themes of barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity. Factor scores were then used to explore between-groups differences for perceived barriers, benefits, and motives based on group allocation and demographic variables. No significant differences were found in factor scores based on allocation. Demographic variables relating to the existence of chronic health conditions, weight status, and older age were found to significantly influence perceived barriers, benefits, and motives for physical activity. Findings suggest that the addition of a pedometer to the standard Green Prescription does not appear to increase perceived motives or benefits or decrease perceived barriers for physical activity in low-active older adults.

scholarly journals Service evaluation of primary care mental health support services in north Wales

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S343-S344
Author(s):  
Jawad Raja ◽  
Alberto Salmoiraghi ◽  
Zeenish Azhar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Primary Care Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Patient ◽  
North Wales ◽  
Tier 1 ◽  
Minimum Number

AimsBringing specialist psychiatrist into PCMHTUndertaking initial assessments for people Referred by G.P'sWorking According to the principle of “Prescribing Interventions”Decrease number of assessments carried out within secondary CareMethodCounty of Wrexham is situated between the lower Dee Valley and the Welsh mountains. It is the largest town in North Wales (140,000)Since 2013, the total new patient referrals to be seen by Wrexham county consultant psychiatrists has consistently risenThis issue has been dealt with in different ways across North Wales and indeed the whole of WalesFollowing a review of services in Wrexham during 2017, it was identified that there was an opportunity to pilot a new model which would allocate a designated Consultant to the local Primary Care Mental Health Team (PCMHT)The Consultant would work entirely within Part 1 of the Mental Health Measure and would offer specialist opinions to Tier 1 ServicesResultPCMHT team members are maintaining open cases for a significant amount of time rather than the 8–10 sessions that was originally predicted during the implementation of the Mental Health MeasuresIn order to sustain the service, the minimum number of direct clinical patient contact sessions to be offered by the psychiatrist was up to 4 a week.During the review period, total number of clinics offered were 51 and a total of 139 patients were offered appointmentsConsultants in secondary care covering the same area received exactly 100 less referrals in the first 6 months of the pilotMain source of referrals to the Tier 1 Consultant came from G.P.'s and the local PCMHT itselfConclusionPilot demonstrated that bringing specialist consultant psychiatrist dedicated to the PCMHT improved the care offered to patients referred by G.P'sScope of PCMHT needs to extend in order to absorb mild to moderate mental illness and thus avoid patients going into secondary careThis model should be supported, and further resources should be inputted into PCMHTWe should move from a categorical diagnostic referral system to a needs-based intervention where only the most complex cases requiring lengthy interventions shall progress to secondary careRisk should not be classed as criteria to move patients into secondary care and PCMHT should be able to absorb moderately risky cases

scholarly journals Video hospice consultation in COVID-19: professional and patient evaluations

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002861
Author(s):  
Shannon Milne ◽  
Jennifer Palfrey ◽  
Jane Berg ◽  
Jennifer Todd
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Professional ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Multiple Group ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Improve Access ◽  
Rapid Shift

BackgroundProviding care for our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic required a rapid shift to video consultations (VCs). A service evaluation was performed to capture hospice professionals’ (HPs) and patients’ experiences of VC.MethodsOnline or postal surveys were sent to HPs and patients, who had participated in VC between March and July 2020, focusing on their experience and satisfaction with the service.Results31 responses from HPs were received. 19 (61.3%) rated their experience of VC as good, despite 29 (93.5%) having no prior VC experience. One-third of HPs had undertaken potentially sensitive consultations, including resuscitation discussions. 23 (74.2%) undertook a VC that included a family member and 18 (58.1%) had included an external healthcare professional. 25 (80.6%) wanted to offer VC as an option going forward. Well-being staff successfully provided multiple group support sessions via video. 26 responses from patients (23) and carers (3) were received. 22 (84.6%) had access to a smartphone. 8 (30.8%) included a family member in their consultation. All patients/carers reported satisfaction with their VC, although 10 (38.5%) expressed a preference for face-to-face consultations. 22 (84.6%) patients would be happy to receive care via VC going forward and 21 (80.8%) stated they would recommend the use of VC to others.ConclusionPatients reported VC to be an acceptable way to receive support from a hospice service and HPs would like to continue to offer VC in the future. VC can be offered as an alternative to face-to-face consultations with the potential to continue and improve access to a wide range of hospice services.

Effect and acceptability of AKI education using peer review audit in primary care

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696977
Author(s):  
Mufaza Asrar ◽  
Joanna McKinnell ◽  
Nitin Kolhe ◽  
Lynn Woods ◽  
Sally Bassett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Risk Identification ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Small Group Teaching ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Early Management

BackgroundThis was part of the Southern Derby shire CCG AKI awareness and improved management in primary and secondary care. The programme involved educating the primary care staff (GPs nurses) about AKI, identifying and early management in at risk groups. The secondary care aspect involved protocol development for AKI risk/identification to reduce morbidity.AimAs two-thirds of AKI originates in the community we aimed to increase awareness and knowledge levels of AKI in primary care via a CCG wide education programme. This included nephrology a peer review audit of cases with an evaluation of the programme’s acceptability and impact.MethodOver a 12month period, peer review audit sessions were delivered to GPs and the primary care MDT. These sessions consisted of a short presentation by a consultant nephrologist followed by discussion of cases. Qualitative feedback was collected from all participants. Web-based, CCG-wide questionnaires incorporating factual and clinical questions were used to assess baseline and post-intervention knowledge level.Results93% of participants (94 responses) found the peer review audit sessions useful, particularly the presence of nephrologist. 45% of participants were anxious about group discussion of cases, although 36% thought they were the most useful component of the sessions. Formal presentations were ranked as the most popular format of receiving education. 996 individuals completed the questionnaires. At baseline 61% were GPs, 27% practice nurses and 8% Advanced Practitioners, with similar proportions at 1yr. Exposure to AKI teaching, self-reported awareness and confidence levels were higher in the second questionnaire and there was a significant improvement in test scores.ConclusionPrimary care education can improve knowledge and awareness of AKI. Small group teaching with involvement of a nephrologist was popular. These results suggest that there is a need to tailor education styles to individual preferences, and peer review audit may not be universally acceptable in primary care.

scholarly journals 145 Point of care lung ultrasound in patient triage: integration of ultrasound into a streaming pathway for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 839.1-839
Author(s):  
Dominic Craver ◽  
Aminah Ahmad ◽  
Anna Colclough
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
District General Hospital ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Point Of Care Ultrasound ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Point Of Care Diagnostics ◽  
Audit Data

Aims/Objectives/BackgroundRapid risk stratification of patients is vital for Emergency Department (ED) streaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ideally, patients should be split into red (suspected/confirmed COVID-19) and green (non COVID-19) zones in order to minimise the risk of patient-to-patient and patient-to-staff transmission. A robust yet rapid streaming system combining clinician impression with point-of-care diagnostics is therefore necessary.Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) findings in COVID-19 have been shown to correlate well with computed tomography (CT) findings, and it therefore has value as a front-door diagnostic tool. At University Hospital Lewisham (a district general hospital in south London), we recognised the value of early POCUS and its potential for use in patient streaming.Methods/DesignWe developed a training programme, ‘POCUS for COVID’ and subsequently integrated POCUS into streaming of our ED patients. The training involved Zoom lectures, a face to face practical, a 10 scan sign off process followed by a final triggered assessment. Patient outcomes were reviewed in conjunction with their scan reports.Results/ConclusionsCurrently, we have 21 ED junior doctors performing ultrasound scans independently, and all patients presenting to our department are scanned either in triage or in the ambulance. A combination of clinical judgement and scan findings are used to stream the patient to an appropriate area.Service evaluation with analysis of audit data has found our streaming to be 94% sensitive and 79% specific as an indicator of COVID 19. Further analysis is ongoing.Here we present both the structure of our training programme and our integrated streaming pathway along with preliminary analysis results.

scholarly journals PARE0023 ORAL HEALTH IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: LISTENING TO PATIENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1297.2-1297
Author(s):  
J. Protudjer ◽  
C. Billedeau ◽  
C. Stavropoulou ◽  
A. Cholakis ◽  
R. Schroth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Oral Care ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Oral Health Education ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Latent Content

Background:Rates of periodontal disease and tooth loss are increased in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Periodontal disease may exacerbate RA inflammation and complicate RA care. Understanding factors that contribute to the increased burden of periodontal disease in RA is critical to improving oral health and possibly arthritis outcomes. People with RA may have unique needs and/or barriers to maintain oral health.Objectives:To determine from people with RA what are their experiences and perceptions about their oral health, their most important questions relating to oral health, and how they wish to receive oral health information.Methods:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with RA patients. Recorded interview transcripts underwent iterative content analysis. Transcripts were initially reviewed to develop a coding guide. Latent content, or larger themes, were then applied to the transcripts. Constructs were considered saturated when no new themes were identified with subsequent interviews. We report identified themes with representative quotes.Results:Interviews with 11 RA (10[91%] female; all on RA medication) averaged 19 minutes (range 8-31 minutes) and were mostly conducted face-to-face. Many believed RA medication contributed to dry mouth. Most participants had not previously considered other links between oral health and RA. Themes identified included the need for complicated oral health routines, barriers of cost and access to dental care, and shame relating to oral health (Table 1). Participants preferred to receive oral health education from their rheumatologists or dentists over printed or online resources.Conclusion:RA patients have unique needs relating to oral health and report poor oral quality of life. Strategies to optimize oral health in RA may include educational tools for optimizing oral self-care appropriate for RA, and improved access to oral care professionals who are aware of the needs of arthritis patients.Disclosure of Interests:Jennifer Protudjer: None declared, Corrie Billedeau: None declared, Chrysi Stavropoulou: None declared, Anastasia Cholakis: None declared, Robert Schroth: None declared, Carol Hitchon Grant/research support from: UCB Canada; Pfizer Canada

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