scholarly journals The impact of seasonal operating room closures on wait times for oral cancer surgery

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mundi ◽  
J. Theurer ◽  
A. Warner ◽  
J. Yoo ◽  
K. Fung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Operating Room ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Disease Recurrence ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Wait Times ◽  
The Impact

Background Operating room slowdowns occur at specific intervals in the year as a cost-saving measure. We aim to investigate the impact of these slowdowns on the care of oral cavity cancer patients at a Canadian tertiary care centre.Methods A total of 585 oral cavity cancer patients seen between 1999 and 2015 at the London Health Science Centre (lhsc) Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Clinic were included in this study. Operating room hours and patient load from 2006 to 2014 were calculated. Our primary endpoint was the wait time from consultation to definitive surgery. Exposure variables were defined according to wait time intervals occurring during time periods with reduced operating room hours.Results Overall case volume rose significantly from 2006 to 2014 (p < 0.001), while operating room hours remained stable (p = 0.555). Patient wait times for surgery increased from 16.3 days prior to 2003 to 25.5 days in 2015 (p = 0.008). Significant variability in operating room hours was observed by month, with lowest reported for July and August (p = 0.002). The greater the exposure to these months, the more likely patients were to wait longer than 28 days for surgery (odds ratio per day [or]: 1.07, 95% confidence interval [ci]: 1.05 to 1.10, p < 0.001). Individuals seen in consultation preceding a month with below average operating room hours had a higher risk of disease recurrence and/or death (hazard ratio [hr]: 1.59, 95% ci: 1.10 to 2.30, p = 0.014).Conclusions Scheduled reductions in available operating room hours contribute to prolonged wait times and higher disease recurrence. Further work is needed to identify strategies maximizing efficient use of health care resources without negatively affecting patient outcomes.

scholarly journals Less Is More? The Association between Survival and Follow-Up Protocol after Treatment in Oral Cavity Cancer Patients from a Betel Quid-Prevalent Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12596
Author(s):  
Shih-An Liu ◽  
Chen-Chi Wang ◽  
Rong-San Jiang ◽  
Yu-Chi Tung
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Less Is More ◽  
The Impact

The optimal follow-up protocol after treatment of oral cavity cancer patients is still debatable. We aimed to investigate the impact of frequency of different imaging studies and follow-up visits on the survival of oral cavity cancer patients. The current study retrospectively reviewed oral cavity cancer patients who underwent surgical intervention in our hospital. Basic demographic data, tumor-related features, treatment modalities, imaging studies, and clinic visits were recorded. Cox proportional hazard model was used to examine the influence of variables on the survival of oral cavity cancer patients. In total, 741 patients with newly diagnosed oral cavity cancer were included in the final analysis. Overall, the frequency of imaging studies was not associated with survival in the multivariate analysis, except PET scan (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.30, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.57–7.86). However, in late-stage and elder patients, frequent head and neck CT/MRI scan was associated with a better prognosis (HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36–0.84; HR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.30–0.91, respectively). In conclusion, precision medicine is a global trend nowadays. Different subgroups may need different follow-up protocols. Further prospective study is warranted to clarify the relationship between frequency of image studies and survival of oral cavity cancer patients.

The impact of superficial injections of radiocolloids and dynamic lymphoscintigraphy on sentinel node identification in oral cavity cancer: a same-day protocol

2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girolamo Tartaglione ◽  
Maurizio G. Vigili ◽  
Siavash Rahimi ◽  
Alessandra Celebrini ◽  
Marco Pagan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Sentinel Node ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer ◽  
Sentinel Node Identification ◽  
The Impact

Risk Factors for Wound Infection After Surgery in Primary Oral Cavity Cancer Patients

2007 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-An Liu ◽  
Yong-Kie Wong ◽  
Chiu-Kwan Poon ◽  
Chen-Chi Wang ◽  
Ching-Ping Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Wound Infection ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer

scholarly journals Improving patient flow and timeliness in the diagnosis and management of breast abnormalities: the impact of a rapid diagnostic unit

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 260 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Racz ◽  
C.M.B. Holloway ◽  
W. Huang ◽  
N.J. Look Hong
Keyword(s):  
Care Delivery ◽  
Patient Flow ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
Wait Times ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Patient Anxiety ◽  
Diagnostic Unit ◽  
Clinical Investigations ◽  
The Impact

Background Efforts to streamline the diagnosis and treatment of breast abnormalities are necessary to limit patient anxiety and expedite care. In the present study, we examined the effect of a rapid diagnostic unit (RDU) on wait times to clinical investigations and definitive treatment.Methods A retrospective before–after series, each considering a 1-year period, examined consecutive patients with suspicious breast lesions before and after initiation of the RDU. Patient consultations, clinical investigations, and lesion characteristics were captured from time of patient referral to initiation of definitive treatment. Outcomes included time (days) to clinical investigations, to delivery of diagnosis, and to management. Groups were compared using the Fisher exact test or Student t-test.Results The non-RDU group included 287 patients with 164 invasive breast carcinomas. The RDU group included 260 patients with 154 invasive carcinomas. The RDU patients had more single visits for biopsy (92% RDU vs. 78% non-RDU, p < 0.0001). The RDU group also had a significantly shorter wait time from initial consultation to delivery of diagnosis (mean: 2.1 days vs. 16.7 days, p = 0.0001) and a greater chance of receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (37% vs. 24%, p = 0.0106). Overall time from referral to management remained statistically unchanged (mean: 53 days with the RDU vs. 50 days without the RDU, p = 0.3806).Conclusions Introduction of a RDU appears to reduce wait times to definitive diagnosis, but not to treatment initiation, suggesting that obstacles to care delivery can occur at several points along the diagnostic trajectory. Multipronged efforts to reduce system-related delays to definitive treatment are needed.

Impact of microsatellite alteration in surgical margins on local recurrence in oral cavity cancer patients

2016 ◽  
Vol 274 (1) ◽  
pp. 431-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Ching Lin ◽  
Chen-Chi Wang ◽  
Rong-San Jiang ◽  
Wen-Yi Wang ◽  
Shih-An Liu
Keyword(s):  
Local Recurrence ◽  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer ◽  
Surgical Margins

Swallowing ability and its impact on dysphagia-specific health-related QOL in oral cavity cancer patients post-treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Ching Chen ◽  
Bing-Shen Huang ◽  
Tsung-Min Hung ◽  
Ya-Lan Chang ◽  
Chien-Yu Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Oral Cavity Cancer ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Health Related Qol ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Specific Health

scholarly journals Dietitian first gastroenterology clinic: an initiative to reduce wait lists and wait times for gastroenterology outpatients in a tertiary hospital service

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rumbidzai N Mutsekwa ◽  
Russell Canavan ◽  
Anthony Whitfield ◽  
Alan Spencer ◽  
Rebecca L Angus
Keyword(s):  
Patient Flow ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Wait Times ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Patient Journey ◽  
Service Activity ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveThe demand for outpatient gastroenterology medical specialist consultations is above what can be met within budgetary and staffing constraints. This study describes the establishment of a dietitian first gastroenterology clinic to address this issue, the patient journey and its impact on wait lists and wait times in a tertiary gastroenterology service.DesignA dietitian first gastroenterology clinic model was developed and a mixed-methods approach used to evaluate the impact of the service over a 21-month period.SettingGold Coast University Hospital, Queensland, Australia (a public tertiary hospital).Patients658 patients were triaged to the clinic between June 2016 and March 2018.InterventionA dietitian first gastroenterology clinic for low-risk gastroenterology patients.Main outcome measuresWe examined demographic, referral, wait list, wait time and service activity data, patient satisfaction and patient journey.ResultsAt the time of audit, 399 new (67.9% female) and 307 review patients had been seen. Wait times for eligible patients reduced from 280 to 66 days and the percentage of those in breach of their recommended wait times reduced from 95% to zero. The average time from referral to discharge was 117.8 days with an average of 2.4 occasions of service. 277 patients (69.4%) had been discharged to the care of their general practitioner and 43 patients (10.7%) had an expedited specialist medical review. Patient surveys indicated a high level of satisfaction.ConclusionA dietitian first gastroenterology model of care helps improve patient flow, reduces wait times and may be useful elsewhere to address outpatient gastroenterology service pressures.

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