scholarly journals Impact of introducing a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for haemoglobin into primary care on the outcome of patients with new bowel symptoms: a prospective cohort study

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Mowat ◽  
Jayne Digby ◽  
Judith A Strachan ◽  
Rebecca McCann ◽  
Christopher Hall ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine whether a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) can be safely implemented in primary care as a rule-out test for significant bowel disease (SBD) (colorectal cancer (CRC), higher risk adenoma (HRA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)) when used as an adjunct to the clinical assessment of new bowel symptoms.DesignSingle-centre prospective cohort study of all patients who attended primary care and submitted a FIT in the first calendar year of the service beginning December 2015. f-Hb was estimated using HM-JACKarc (Kyowa Medex) with a clinical cut-off of ≥10 µg Hb/g faeces. Incident cases of CRC were verified via anonymised record linkage to the Scottish Cancer Registry.Results5422 patients submitted 5660 FIT specimens, of which 5372 were analysed (positivity: 21.9%). 2848 patients were referred immediately to secondary care and three with f-Hb <10 µg/g presented acutely within days with obstructing CRC. 1447 completed colonoscopy in whom overall prevalence of SBD was 20.5% (95 CRC (6.6%), 133 HRA (9.2%) and 68 IBD (4.7%)); 6.6% in patients with f-Hb <10 µg/g vs 32.3% in patients with f-Hb ≥10 µg/g. One CRC was detected at CT colonoscopy. 2521 patients were not immediately referred (95.3% had f-Hb <10 µg/g) of which four (0.2%) later developed CRC. Record linkage identified no additional CRC cases within a follow-up period of 23–35 months.ConclusionIn primary care, measurement of f-Hb, in conjunction with clinical assessment, can safely and objectively determine a patient’s risk of SBD.

2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Köhler ◽  
Frans Verhey ◽  
Siegfried Weyerer ◽  
Birgitt Wiese ◽  
Kathrin Heser ◽  
...  

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e0128361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nens van Alfen ◽  
Jeroen J. J. van Eijk ◽  
Tessa Ennik ◽  
Sean O. Flynn ◽  
Inge E. G. Nobacht ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (675) ◽  
pp. e682-e693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niamh M Redmond ◽  
Sophie Turnbull ◽  
Beth Stuart ◽  
Hannah V Thornton ◽  
Hannah Christensen ◽  
...  

BackgroundClinicians commonly prescribe antibiotics to prevent major adverse outcomes in children presenting in primary care with cough and respiratory symptoms, despite limited meaningful evidence of impact on these outcomes.AimTo estimate the effect of children’s antibiotic prescribing on adverse outcomes within 30 days of initial consultation.Design and settingSecondary analysis of 8320 children in a multicentre prospective cohort study, aged 3 months to <16 years, presenting in primary care across England with acute cough and other respiratory symptoms.MethodBaseline clinical characteristics and antibiotic prescribing data were collected, and generalised linear models were used to estimate the effect of antibiotic prescribing on adverse outcomes within 30 days (subsequent hospitalisations and reconsultation for deterioration), controlling for clustering and clinicians’ propensity to prescribe antibiotics.ResultsSixty-five (0.8%) children were hospitalised and 350 (4%) reconsulted for deterioration. Clinicians prescribed immediate and delayed antibiotics to 2313 (28%) and 771 (9%), respectively. Compared with no antibiotics, there was no clear evidence that antibiotics reduced hospitalisations (immediate antibiotic risk ratio [RR] 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.47 to 1.45; delayed RR 0.70, 95% CI = 0.26 to 1.90, overall P = 0.44). There was evidence that delayed (rather than immediate) antibiotics reduced reconsultations for deterioration (immediate RR 0.82, 95% CI = 0.65 to 1.07; delayed RR 0.55, 95% CI = 0.34 to 0.88, overall P = 0.024).ConclusionMost children presenting with acute cough and respiratory symptoms in primary care are not at risk of hospitalisation, and antibiotics may not reduce the risk. If an antibiotic is considered, a delayed antibiotic prescription may be preferable as it is likely to reduce reconsultation for deterioration.


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