scholarly journals Assessment and referral in suspected COVID-19: a community based observational study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Finnikin ◽  
Shamil Haroon ◽  
Jennifer Cooper ◽  
Astha Anand ◽  
Abijan Pakiyaraja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Early Warning Score ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Referral Decisions

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic presented new diagnostic and management challenges to primary care alongside rapid changes in service delivery. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients with symptoms of COVID-19 in primary care, explore which characteristics were associated with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 and referrals to secondary care, and to describe secondary care referral decisions with reference to national guidance. Methods An observational study using routinely collected data from the Birmingham Out-of-hours Research Database. The study uses consultation data from the Birmingham and Solihull COVID Referral Centre (CRC) between 21st April and 24th July. All CRC consultations were examined to extract patient demographics, free text consultations, prescriptions, observation and onward referrals. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS2) was calculated and the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 was established. The population was described and univariate logistic regression was used to identify characteristics associated with clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 and referral decisions. Results 681 patients were seen at the CRC and 56.3% were identified to have a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19. 14.0% of all patients were referred to secondary care, but 59% of patients classified as most severe according to national criteria were not referred. Referral was associated with increasing age, shortness of breath, tachycardia, tachypnoea and hypoxia but patients with a clinical COVID-19 diagnosis were less likely to be referred than those with other diagnoses. Conclusion Just over half of patients seen in the CRC were clinically diagnosed with COVID-19 and most patients were managed in the community. Guidelines developed in the absence of service delivery data for the management of COVID-19 were inconsistent with community urgent care delivery.

scholarly journals Association between National Early Warning Scores in primary care and clinical outcomes: an observational study in UK primary and secondary care

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (695) ◽  
pp. e374-e380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren J Scott ◽  
Niamh M Redmond ◽  
Alison Tavaré ◽  
Hannah Little ◽  
Seema Srivastava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Early Warning Score ◽  
Medical Review ◽  
News Values ◽  
Process Measures ◽  
Sepsis Diagnosis

BackgroundNHS England has mandated use of the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), more recently NEWS2, in acute settings, and suggested its use in primary care. However, there is reluctance from GPs to adopt NEWS/NEWS2.AimTo assess whether NEWS calculated at the point of GP referral into hospital is associated with outcomes in secondary care.Design and settingAn observational study using routinely collected data from primary and secondary care.MethodNEWS values were prospectively collected for 13 047 GP referrals into acute care between July 2017 and December 2018. NEWS values were examined and multivariate linear and logistic regression used to assess associations with process measures and clinical outcomes.ResultsHigher NEWS values were associated with faster conveyance for patients travelling by ambulance, for example, median 94 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 69–139) for NEWS ≥7; median 132 minutes, (IQR 84–236) for NEWS = 0 to 2); faster time from hospital arrival to medical review (54 minutes [IQR 25–114] for NEWS ≥7; 78 minutes [IQR 34–158] for NEWS = 0 to 2); as well as increased length of stay (5 days [IQR 2–11] versus 1 day [IQR 0–5]); intensive care unit admissions (2.0% versus 0.5%); sepsis diagnosis (11.7% versus 2.5%); and mortality, for example, 30-day mortality 12.0% versus 4.1% for NEWS ≥7 versus NEWS = 0 to 2, respectively. On average, for patients referred without a NEWS value (NEWS = NR), most clinical outcomes were comparable with patients with NEWS = 3 to 4, but ambulance conveyance time and time to medical review were comparable with patients with NEWS = 0 to 2.ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that higher NEWS values calculated at GP referral into hospital are associated with a faster medical review and poorer clinical outcomes.

THUR 121 Identifying participants with parkinson’s disease in uk biobank

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. A13.2-A13
Author(s):  
Bush Kathryn ◽  
Rannikmae Kristiina ◽  
Schnier Christian ◽  
Wilkinson Timothy ◽  
Nolan John ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Predictive Values ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundLinkage to routinely collected NHS data from primary, secondary care and death certificates enables identification of participants with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) within the UK Biobank cohort of 5 00 000 adults. Validation of the accuracy of this data is required prior to their use in research studies.MethodIn this validation study participants (n=125) with a code indicating PD were identified from a sample of 17 000 participants in the cohort. Diagnoses were validated by expert adjudicators, based on free text electronic medical records. Positive predictive values (PPV,% of cases identified that are true cases) were calculated.ResultsPrimary care diagnostic codes identified 93% of PD cases, with a PPV of 95%. Combined secondary care and death data identified 42% of PD cases with a PPV of 84%.Combining diagnostic and medication codes identified more participants, but did not increase the PPV.ConclusionsThis study suggests that linkage to routinely collected healthcare data is a reliable method for identifying participants with PD in the UK Biobank cohort.Primary care diagnostic codes identified the highest proportion of participants and had the highest PPV, demonstrating the value of using primary care data to identify cases of disease in large population based cohort studies.

scholarly journals Contribution of paramedics in primary and urgent care: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (695) ◽  
pp. e421-e426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgette Eaton ◽  
Geoff Wong ◽  
Veronika Williams ◽  
Nia Roberts ◽  
Kamal R Mahtani
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Ambulance Service ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Clinical Role ◽  
Primary Care Workforce ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundWithin the UK, there are now opportunities for paramedics to work across a variety of healthcare settings away from their traditional ambulance service employer, with many opting to move into primary care.AimTo provide an overview of the types of clinical roles paramedics are undertaking in primary and urgent care settings within the UK.Design and settingA systematic review.MethodSearches were conducted of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Journal of Paramedic Practice, and the Cochrane Database from January 2004 to March 2019 for papers detailing the role, scope of practice, clinician and patient satisfaction, and costs of paramedics in primary and urgent care settings. Free-text keywords and subject headings focused on two key concepts: paramedic and general practice/primary care.ResultsIn total, 6765 references were screened by title and/or abstract. After full-text review, 24 studies were included. Key findings focused on the description of the clinical role, the clinical work environment, the contribution of paramedics to the primary care workforce, the clinical activities they undertook, patient satisfaction, and education and training for paramedics moving from the ambulance service into primary care.ConclusionCurrent published research identifies that the role of the paramedic working in primary and urgent care is being advocated and implemented across the UK; however, there is insufficient detail regarding the clinical contribution of paramedics in these clinical settings. More research needs to be done to determine how, why, and in what context paramedics are now working in primary and urgent care, and what their overall contribution is to the primary care workforce.

scholarly journals Systematic review of integrated models of health care delivered at the primary–secondary interface: how effective is it and what determines effectiveness?

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey K. Mitchell ◽  
Letitia Burridge ◽  
Jianzhen Zhang ◽  
Maria Donald ◽  
Ian A. Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Disease Control ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Secondary Care ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Primary Care Practitioners ◽  
The Impact

Integrated multidisciplinary care is difficult to achieve between specialist clinical services and primary care practitioners, but should improve outcomes for patients with chronic and/or complex chronic physical diseases. This systematic review identifies outcomes of different models that integrate specialist and primary care practitioners, and characteristics of models that delivered favourable clinical outcomes. For quality appraisal, the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used. Data are presented as a narrative synthesis due to marked heterogeneity in study outcomes. Ten studies were included. Publication bias cannot be ruled out. Despite few improvements in clinical outcomes, significant improvements were reported in process outcomes regarding disease control and service delivery. No study reported negative effects compared with usual care. Economic outcomes showed modest increases in costs of integrated primary–secondary care. Six elements were identified that were common to these models of integrated primary–secondary care: (1) interdisciplinary teamwork; (2) communication/information exchange; (3) shared care guidelines or pathways; (4) training and education; (5) access and acceptability for patients; and (6) a viable funding model. Compared with usual care, integrated primary–secondary care can improve elements of disease control and service delivery at a modestly increased cost, although the impact on clinical outcomes is limited. Future trials of integrated care should incorporate design elements likely to maximise effectiveness.

scholarly journals Historical database cohort study addressing the clinical patterns prior to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis in UK primary care

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e034428
Author(s):  
David Thickett ◽  
Jaco Voorham ◽  
Ronan Ryan ◽  
Rupert Jones ◽  
Robina Coker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Research Database ◽  
Historical Cohort

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical pathways, including signs and symptoms, and symptom progression patterns preceding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) diagnosis.Design and settingA historical cohort study was conducted using primary care patient records from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database.ParticipantsPatients included were at least 30 years, had IPF diagnosis, identified via clinical-coding and free-text records and had a consultation with a chest specialist prior to IPF diagnosis.Outcome measuresThe signs and symptoms in the year prior to IPF diagnosis from clinical codes and free-text in primary care electronic records included: cough, dyspnoea, dry cough, weight loss, fatigue/malaise, loss of appetite, crackles and clubbed fingers. The time course of presentations of clinical features and investigations in the years prior to IPF diagnosis were mapped.ResultsWithin 462 patients identified, the majority (77.9%) had a respiratory consultation within 365 days prior to the chest specialist visit preceding the IPF diagnosis recorded in their primary care records. The most common symptoms recorded in the 1 year prior to IPF diagnosis were dyspnoea (48.7%) and cough (40.9%); other signs and symptoms were rarely recorded (<5%). The majority of patients with cough (58.0%) and dyspnoea (55.0%) in the 1 year before IPF diagnosis had multiple recordings of the respective symptoms. Both cough and dyspnoea were recorded in 23.4% of patients in the year prior to diagnosis. Consultation rates for cough, dyspnoea and both, but not other signs or symptoms, began to increase 4 to 5 years prior diagnosis, with the sharpest increase in the last year. Cough and dyspnoea were often preceded by a reduction in measured weight over 5 years leading to IPF diagnosis.ConclusionProlonged cough and/or progressive dyspnoea, especially if accompanied with weight loss, should signal for a referral to specialist assessment at the earliest opportunity.

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