Impact of telephone triage in managing patient demand for same-day appointments? A before-after study in a UK general practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X697361
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Chirk Fan Lau ◽  
Sadia Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
System Change ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Patient Episode

BackgroundTelephone consultations are increasingly being utilised to manage patient demand for GP appointments. It’s true impact on patient care remains to be answered as existing evidence has shown mixed results.AimTo report the impact of telephone triage on: number of face-to-face (F2F) appointments offered; unplanned re-consultations with GP or urgent care services within 24 hours; and total consultation duration per patient episode.MethodA retrospective cohort study in a single suburban practice in Kent, comparing outcomes between the new telephone triage and old walk-in F2F appointment systems in managing patient requests for same-day appointments. Data was sampled across 1 week, at 3-monthly intervals over each 12-month period before and after the system change-over in April 2016.Results1198 patient encounters matched the inclusion criteria. F2F appointments were offered to 34.7% of patients after telephone triage. Although unplanned re-consultations were four times more prevalent since the system changed compared to the previous year (P<0.001), no difference was seen between those consulted by telephone only, or offered a F2F appointment after telephone triage. Overall, patient consultations by telephone triage were 2.37 minutes shorter than consultations under its predecessor (P <0.001).ConclusionTelephone triage was able to manage majority of patient problems by telephone alone, with significant reduction in consulting time per patient episode. Telephone consulting was not shown accountable for the increase in unplanned re-consultations.

scholarly journals The Impact of Covid-19 on Diabetes Care in Muscat Governorate: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Primary Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110519
Author(s):  
Thuraiya Al Harthi ◽  
Huda Anwar ◽  
Anwaar Al Lawati ◽  
Fathyia Al Shuriqi ◽  
Fakhria Al Rashdi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Glycated Hemoglobin ◽  
Telephone Consultation ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Patients With Diabetes ◽  
The Impact

Background COVID-19 pandemic has led to health service modification and temporary disruption of the routine care provided to patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) in primary care. This was done to minimize outpatient visits, permit physical distancing, and ensure patients’ and healthcare providers safety. There is no evidence that explored or measured the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on diabetes services and patients’ glycemic outcome in Oman. Aim and Objectives To explore the accessibility of DM services in primary care after COVID-19 pandemic announcement, and measure patients’ glycemic outcome. Methods Before and after, retrospective cohort study using Al-Shifa healthcare database in primary care. One thousand adult patients with diabetes who attended DM clinic before pandemic announcement in 2019 were randomly selected and followed up until end of 2020. Patients aged ≥18 years and had at least 2 visits in 2019 were included. Access to DM services was identified by number of patients received care, frequency of consultations, mode of consultation, and type of intervention given to patients. Patients’ glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and other glycemic parameters after pandemic announcement in 2020 were determined and compared with the same parameters before pandemic in 2019. Association between patients’ HbA1c and mode of consultation was measured using multivariable regression analysis. Results A total of 937 patients continued to follow and received DM care after pandemic announcement. Median number of consultations was 2 with interquartile range (IQR): 3-2. 57.4% had face-to-face alone, 32.4% had combined face to face and telephone consultation, and 10% had telephone consultation alone. Mean difference in HbA1c (%) before and after pandemic announcement was 0.2 ± 1.4 (95% CI: 0.1 to 0.3), P = .002. With multivariable linear regression, the mean difference in HbA1c was −0.3 (−2.3 to 1.5), P = .734 for telephone consultation alone, −0.5 (−2.4 to 1.4), P = .613 for face-to-face alone, and −0.5 (−2.4 to 1.3), P = .636 for combined consultations, compared to those who did not receive any formal consultation. Conclusion Despite service modification and disruption of comprehensive care in primary care after COVID-19 pandemic announcement, DM services were accessible as majority of patients maintained follow up. There was an overall increase in mean glycated hemoglobin, however, it was a less than 1 unit increase. After adjusting for multivariable, glycated hemoglobin was reduced among those who received consultation including telephone consultation compared to those who did not, however evidence was unconvincing.

AIRA, an Artificial Intelligence Realistic Assistant that will save your time, a before-and-after study during Pandemic (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaio Bin ◽  
Adler Araújo Ribeiro Melo ◽  
José Guilherme Franco Da Rocha ◽  
Renata Pivi De Almeida ◽  
Vilson Cobello Junior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Electronic Health Record ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Screening ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Health Record ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Before And After Study

BACKGROUND AIRA is an AI designed to reduce the time that doctors dedicate filling out EHR, winner of the first edition of MIT Hacking Medicine held in Brazil in 2020. As a proof of concept, AIRA was implemented in administrative process before its application in a medical process. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is to determinate the impact of AIRA by eliminating the Medical Care Registration (MCR) on Electronic Health Record (EHR) by Administrative Officer. METHODS This is a comparative before-and-after study following the guidance “Evaluating digital health products” from Public Health England. An Artificial Intelligence named AIRA was created and implemented at CEAC (Employee Attention Center) from HCFMUSP. A total of 25,507 attendances were evaluated along 2020 for determinate AIRA´s impact. Total of MCR, time of health screening and time between the end of the screening and the beginning of medical care, were compared in the pre and post AIRA periods. RESULTS AIRA eliminated the need for Medical Care Registration by Administrative Officer in 92% (p<0.0001). The nurse´s time of health screening increased 16% (p<0.0001) during the implementation, and 13% (p<0.0001) until three months after the implementation, but reduced in 4% three months after implementation (p<0.0001). The mean and median total time to Medical Care after the nurse’ Screening was decreased in 30% (p<0.0001) and 41% (p<0.0001) respectively. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of AIRA reduced the time to medical care in an urgent care after the nurse´ screening, by eliminating non-value-added activity the Medical Care Registration on Electronic Health Record (EHR) by Administrative Officer.

Effect of a Reduced Postpartum Length of Stay Program on Primary Care Services Use by Mothers and Infants

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 106 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 937-941
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Mandl ◽  
Charles J. Homer ◽  
Oren Harary ◽  
Jonathan A. Finkelstein
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Early Discharge ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Primary Care Services ◽  
Ambulatory Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Services Use

Objective. To determine the impact of reduced postpartum length of stay (LOS) on primary care services use. Methods. Design: Retrospective quasiexperimental study, comparing 3 periods before and 1 period after introducing an intervention and adjusting for time trends.Setting: A managed care plan.Intervention: A reduced obstetrical LOS program (ROLOS), offering enhanced education and services.Participants: mother-infant dyads, delivered during 4 time periods: February through May 1992, 1993, and 1994, before ROLOS, and 1995, while ROLOS was in effect.Independent Measures: Pre-ROLOS or the post-ROLOS year.Outcome Measures: Telephone calls, visits, and urgent care events during the first 3 weeks postpartum summed as total utilization events. Results. Before ROLOS, LOS decreased gradually (from 51.6 to 44.3 hours) and after, sharply to 36.5 hours. Although primary care use did not increase before ROLOS, utilization for dyads increased during ROLOS. Before ROLOS, there were between 2.37 and 2.72 utilization events per dyad; after, there were 4.60. Well-child visits increased slightly to .98 visits per dyad, but urgent visits did not. Conclusion. This program resulted in shortened stays and more primary care use. There was no increase in infant urgent primary care utilization. Early discharge programs that incorporate and reimburse for enhanced ambulatory services may be safe for infants; these findings should not be extrapolated to mandatory reduced LOS initiatives without enhancement of care.

Everyday Experience of Front-Line Professionals and In/Formal Carers

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henglien Lisa Chen
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Needs Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Informal Carers ◽  
The Impact

To address the risks to families of the availability of care for their older family members, this paper explores the impact of different care systems on the way that relevant care actors contribute to the long-term care of older people. It is based on an empirical study of the care needs assessment and care provision in England, the Netherlands and Taiwan. The participants in the study include 143 care actors at national, regional and local levels across the countries. It found that the objective of providing care needs is similar in each of the countries studied. However, the everyday life of professionals and in/formal carers differs based on the care culture and care policy in each country. Overall, care professionals and formal carers experience satisfaction in their caring role when sufficient time is available for them to work with individuals. Face-to-face contact with older people is important to care professionals if adequate needs assessment could be performed. Helping informal carers extend their ability to carry out their role may improve their well-being as carers and reduce the demand for formal care services.

scholarly journals ‘If a fight starts, watch the crowd’: The effect of violence on popular support for social movements

2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 485-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordi Muñoz ◽  
Eva Anduiza
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
The Other ◽  
Popular Support ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Street Violence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Social movements often face tactic diversification. In otherwise nonviolent movements, some groups or radical flanks may resort to violent actions such as street rioting. This article analyzes the impact that these violent episodes can have on popular support for the movement as a whole. To estimate the causal effect of violence, it exploits an unexpected riot outbreak that occurred during the fieldwork of a face-to-face survey in Barcelona in May 2016, led by a squat group linked to the anti-austerity movement known as the 15-M or indignados that emerged during the financial crisis. By comparing respondents interviewed before and after the riots, it finds that the street violence episode reduced support for the 15-M movement by 12 percentage points on average. However, the magnitude of the effect is highly conditional on the respondents’ predispositions towards the movement. Core supporters, that are expected to share the frame of the movement in justifying violent actions, are the least affected by the violent outbreak. On the other extreme, weak supporters, opposers, and non-aligned citizens reduce their support to a larger extent. Results are robust to different specifications and a wide range of robustness checks. These findings have potentially important implications for movements concerned with broadening their support base.

scholarly journals A Therapeutic Educational Program in Oral Health for Persons with Schizophrenia: A Qualitative Feasibility Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Peteuil ◽  
Corinne Rat ◽  
Sahar Moussa-Badran ◽  
Maud Carpentier ◽  
Jean-François Pelletier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Periodontal Diseases ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Health Quality ◽  
Persons With Schizophrenia ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

Objective. The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of a therapeutic educational program in oral health (TEPOH) for persons with schizophrenia (PWS). Design. In a qualitative study, we explored the representation of oral health before and after a TEPOH. Clinical Setting: PWS are at greater risk of decayed and missing teeth and periodontal diseases. In a previous publication, we described the different steps in building a TEPOH by taking into account the experiences of PWS concerning oral health quality of life. This TEPOH aimed at promoting a global health approach. Participants: Voluntary PWS and their caregivers were recruited during face-to-face interviews at “Les Boisseaux” (a psychiatric outpatient centre) in Auxerre (France) and were included in the study between November and December 2016. Intervention: We explored the experiences of participants and their perceptions of oral health before and after the TEPOH with focus group meetings. Results. Four females and three males participated in the study, and the mean age was 29.4 ± 5. Before the TEPOH, the PWS produced 28 ideas about oral health perception and 37 after the TEPOH. After the TEPOH, elements relating to the determinants of oral health (smoking and poor diet) emerged. Conclusions. These results show an evolution in oral health representation, and after some adjustments to the TEPOH, the second step will be to test this program in a large sample to generate a high level of evidence of the impact of TEPOH in the long term.

The role of the pharmacist in improving medication beliefs and adherence in cancer patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1916-1926
Author(s):  
Nevzat Birand ◽  
Ahmet Sami Boşnak ◽  
Ömer Diker ◽  
Abdi Abdikarim ◽  
Bilgen Başgut
Keyword(s):  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Medication Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs About Medicines ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Adherence To Medication ◽  
Northern Cyprus ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Negative Balance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Time

Background Multiple factors have been reported to affect adherence to medication, including beliefs about medicines, while specifically tailored pharmaceutical care services for patients may improve adherence. The aim was to assess the impact of counselling by an oncology pharmacist on patients' medication adherence and beliefs. Methods An interventional prospective study was performed in the oncology department at a tertiary hospital in Northern Cyprus from November 2017 to April 2018. The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire was used to evaluate the balance between beliefs about necessity and concerns and medication beliefs before and after an educational intervention. The Morisky Green Levine Test 2018 was used to evaluate adherence. Results In total, 81 patients (65.4% females; mean age: 59.1 ± 11.34 years; 34.6% hypertensive; 19.8% with diabetes) were analysed before and after receiving counselling from an oncology pharmacist. Pharmacist education significantly enhanced the mean patient necessity-concern balance scores by two-fold (MT0(baseline) = −3.1 ± 8.6; MT1(posteducation) =3.0 ± 7.3; p < 0.0001), with patients who received counselling for the first time experiencing the greatest benefit. Multivariate analysis showed that patients who had a negative balance between their beliefs about the necessity of the medication and their concerns were less likely to adhere to the medication (0.138 (0.025–0.772)). Conclusion Counselling by an oncology pharmacist was effective in decreasing patient concerns and increasing their understanding of the necessity of the medication, thus enhancing their adherence and consequently improving the care they received.

scholarly journals Changes in Patient Visits and Diagnoses seen in an Academic Ophthalmology Department during the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan K Berkenstock ◽  
Paulina Liberman ◽  
Peter J McDonnell ◽  
Benjamin C Chaon
Keyword(s):  
Practice Patterns ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Viral Transmission ◽  
Pediatric Ophthalmology ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Diagnostic Codes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face to face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions, in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown. METHODS: We did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the six weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19.RESULTS: The total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of telemedicine visits increased sixty-fold. The number of diagnostic codes associated with ocular malignancies, most ocular inflammatory disorders, and retinal conditions requiring intravitreal injections increased. ICD-10 codes associated with ocular screening exams for systemic disorders decreased during the weeks post COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmology practices need to be prepared to experience changes in practice patterns, implementation of telemedicine, and decreased patient volumes during a pandemic. Knowing the changes specific to each subspecialty clinic is vital to redistribute available resources correctly.

scholarly journals 116. Leveraging the Use of the PCR-based Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Nasal Swab in the Emergency Department to Optimize Vancomycin Use in the Inpatient Setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S72-S72
Author(s):  
Dayna McManus ◽  
Jeffrey E Topal ◽  
Hagar Kassab
Keyword(s):  
Primary Endpoint ◽  
Nasal Swab ◽  
Secondary Endpoint ◽  
Inpatient Setting ◽  
New Haven ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Days Of Therapy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The MRSA nasal swab has been shown to have a negative predictive value of 97–100% for an MRSA infection. Therefore, a negative MRSA swab can be an important antimicrobial stewardship tool to stop unnecessary empiric anti-MRSA therapy. Prolonged anti-MRSA therapy may increase hospital length stay, adverse effects, antimicrobial resistance, and increase the risk of acute kidney injury. Timely obtainment of the MRSA nasal swab is paramount to prevent these complications. To improve the timely collection at our institution, we linked the MRSA nasal swab order with the initial order for vancomycin in the ED using the electronic medical record. Methods This was a single-center, retrospective review of adult ED patients (≥ 18 years) who recieved vancomycin at Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA and had an MRSA nasal swab collected. The pre-intervention cohort were patients who met inclusion criteria between September 2018 and October 2018. The post-intervention cohort, following the linking of the MRSA nasal swab with the vancomycin order included patients between June 2019 and July 2019. The primary endpoint was the time from the ED visit to vancomycin discontinuation in patients with a negative MRSA nasal swab. The secondary endpoint was a comparison of inpatient vancomycin usage before and after implimentation of the intervention. Results In the pre-intervention cohort 665 patients were reviewed with 100 meeting inclusion criteria and in the post-intervention cohort 242 patients were reviewed with 100 meeting inclusion criteria. Baseline demographic characteristics were similar between the two cohorts. For the primary endpoint, the time from ED visit until vancomycin discontinuation was 61 hours in the pre-intervention cohort versus 34 hours in the post-intervention cohort (p&lt; 0.001). The secondary endpoint of the impact of the intervention on vancomycin usage is depicted figure attached. Vancomycin IV Days of Therapy/1000 Patient Days Before and After Intervention Conclusion Linking the MRSA nasal swab order with the order for vancomycin in the ED led to a significantly shorter time of empiric vancomycin which in turn resulted in an overall reduction in the use of vancomycin. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals COMBINATION OF TOCILIZUMAB AND STEROIDS TO IMPROVE MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH SEVERE COVID-19 INFECTION: A SPANISH, MULTICENTER, COHORT STUDY

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belen Ruiz-Antoran ◽  
Aranzazu Sancho-Lopez ◽  
Ferran Torres ◽  
Victor Moreno-Torres ◽  
Itziar de Pablo Lopez de Abechuco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Oxygen Therapy ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Multicenter Cohort Study ◽  
Inverse Probability ◽  
Multicenter Cohort ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
The Impact

Background: We aimed to determine the impact of tocilizumab use in severe COVID-19 pneumonia mortality. Methods: We performed a multicentre retrospective cohort study in 18 tertiary hospitals in Spain, from March to April 2020. Consecutive patients admitted with severe COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab were compared to patients not treated with tocilizumab, adjusting by Inverse Probability of the Treatment Weights (IPTW). Tocilizumab effect in patients receiving steroids during the 48h following inclusion was analyzed. Results: During the study period, 506 patients with severe COVID-19 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Among them, 268 were treated with tocilizumab and 238 patients were not. Median time to tocilizumab treatment from onset of symptoms was 11 days (IQR 8-14). Global mortality was 23.7%. Mortality was lower in patients treated with tocilizumab than in controls (16.8% versus 31.5%, HR 0.514 [95CI 0.355-0.744], p<0.001; weighted HR 0.741 [95CI 0.619-0.887], p=0.001). Tocilizumab treatment reduced mortality by 14.7% relative to no tocilizumab treatment (RRR 46.7%). We calculated a number necessary to treat of 7. Among patients treated with steroids, mortality was lower in patients treated with tocilizumab than in those treated with steroids alone (10.9% versus 40.2%, HR 0.511 [95CI 0.352-0.741], p=0.036; weighted HR 0.6 [95CI 0.449-0.804], p<0.001) (Interaction p=0.094). Conclusions: These results show that survival of patients with severe COVID-19 is higher in patients treated with tocilizumab than in those not treated, and that tocilizumab effect adds to that of steroids administered to non-intubated cases with COVID-19 during the first 48 hours of presenting with respiratory failure despite of oxygen therapy. Randomised controlled studies are needed to confirm these results.

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