Consultations for clinical features of possible cancer and associated urgent referrals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study from English primary care

Background It remains unclear to what extent reductions in urgent referrals for suspected cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic were the result of fewer patients attending primary care compared to GPs referring fewer patients. Methods Cohort study including electronic health records data from 8,192,069 patients from 663 English practices. Weekly consultation rates, cumulative consultations and referrals were calculated for 28 clinical features from the NICE suspected cancer guidelines. Clinical feature consultation rate ratios (CRR) and urgent referral rate ratios (RRR) compared time periods in 2020 with 2019. Findings Consultations for cancer clinical features decreased by 24.19% (95% CI: 24.04–24.34%) between 2019 and 2020, particularly in the 6–12 weeks following the first national lockdown. Urgent referrals for clinical features decreased by 10.47% (95% CI: 9.82–11.12%) between 2019 and 2020. Overall, once patients consulted with primary care, GPs urgently referred a similar or greater proportion of patients compared to previous years. Conclusion Due to the significant fall in patients consulting with clinical features of cancer there was a lower than expected number of urgent referrals in 2020. Sustained efforts should be made throughout the pandemic to encourage the public to consult their GP with cancer clinical features.

Trends in consultations for schizophrenia and non-affective psychoses in Italian emergency departments during and after the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown

Aims To analyse the hospital emergency department (HED) consultations for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders in nine Italian hospitals during the 2020 lockdown and post-lockdown periods, compared to the equivalent periods in 2019. Methods Characteristics of consultations, patients, and drug prescriptions were analysed. Joinpoint models were used to identify changes in the weekly trend of consultations. Results During the 2020 lockdown the overall number of HED consultations for schizophrenia decreased by 40.7% and after the lockdown by 12.2% compared with 2019. No difference was found in the proportion of consultations that led to GHPU admissions or compulsory admissions. Suicidality rates did not differ across the two years, with the exception of ideations and plans (+5.9%) during the post-lockdown period. We found an increase in benzodiazepine prescriptions in 2020 during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods (+10.6% and +20.8%, respectively), and a decrease of prescriptions for short-acting sedative agents in the post-lockdown period (-7.9%). An increase in the weekly trend of consultations occurred from March 11-17 (week 11) to June 26-June 30 (week 26). As a result, the initial gap in the number of consultations between the two years cancelled out at the end of June. Conclusions HED consultation rate for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders declined consistent with that of other psychiatric disorders. In the post-lockdown period the growth of suicidal ideation/planning and increase in the prescriptions of anxiolytic-sedating drugs may foreshadow that for some schizophrenia patients the exit from the lockdown period is not liberating, but rather a source of agitation or perturbation.

Cross-sectional analysis of coding, patient characteristics, consultation frequency and pharmacological treatment of adults with severe mental disorders in Irish general practice

Background General practitioners are the gatekeepers of Irish healthcare and they offer continuity of care to patients. Irish general practice is therefore considered appropriate for preventing, diagnosing and managing most mental health problems. Aims This study sought to establish the coding frequency, consultation frequency, patient characteristics and pharmacological treatment of patients with severe mental disorders (SMDs) in Irish general practice. Methods A cross-sectional design was used. A finder tool embedded in the practice software assisted general practitioners (GPs) coding adult patients with SMDs. Eleven practices uploaded anonymous data on 2,203 patients. Variables analysed included disease code, consultations, prescriptions, sex, patient status and age. Results Overall, 2.9% (n = 2,337) of patients had ever been coded with a SMD, 2.4% (n = 1,964) coded with depressive disorder ever and 0.26% (n = 209) and 0.3% (n = 233) with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, respectively. Overall, 68.0% (n = 1,336) of patients with depressive disorder were female, and 74.0% (n = 171) of patients with schizophrenia were public patients. The median consultation rate in the previous 3 years was highest for schizophrenia patients at 24.5 visits. Conclusions Coding of SMDs in Irish general practice appears incomplete. Patients with SMDs have high consultation rates. Patients with depressive disorder are more likely to be female and public patients. This research suggests that the improvement of coding in Irish general practice is the first practical step required to detecting prevalence rates.

Multidisciplinary cooperative mode led by infusion nurse specialists used to ensure the nursing quality of peripherally inserted central catheters in China: A 5-year retrospective study

Objective: To analyze the effect of multidisciplinary cooperation mode (MCM) led by infusion nurse specialists (INSs) on peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) catheterization and indwelling nursing quality. Methods: Participants’ demographic information, catheter types, catheterization approaches, puncture site, tip position, professional title of nurses, success rate of catheterization, consultation rate, detection rate of complications and outcome improvement rate of 6576 outpatients and hospitalized patients with PICC were analyzed retrospectively by a software named “questionnaire stars,” in a large tertiary general hospital in Shanghai, from January 2015 to December 2019. SPSS 26.0 for Windows was used for data collection and description, Chi-square test were used for statistical analysis of enumeration data, and p < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: According to the catheter types’ data, the use rate of three-way valve catheters decreased from 79.9% to 14.5%, while the use rate of three-way valve solo catheters increased from 12.7% to 51.6%, and the use rate of power injectable and open-ended catheters increased from 7.4% to 33.9%. According to the data of PICC catheterization method, conventional technology decreased significantly from 16.8% to 1.1%, modified Seldinger technique (MST) increased gradually from 26.1% to 51.3%, while ultrasound guided modified Seldinger technique (US and MST) decreased slightly from 57.2% to 47.6%. 7.5% catheter tip ends were malpositioned while nine indwelled PICCs were traced to have tip end malposition. The consultation rate was significantly higher than that before applying MCM led by INSs ( x2 = 151.713, p < 0.05). After applying MCM led by INSs, the detection rate of complications was significantly higher than before ( x2 = 5.499, p < 0.05), the rate of successful insertion at one time was significantly higher than before ( x2 = 187.589, p < 0.05). Conclusion: After the application of INSs-led MCM, progresses have been achieved. The nursing quality of patients’ PICC was significantly improved than before.

Pediatric Tracheostomy Outcomes After Development of a Multidisciplinary Airway Team: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Objectives To analyze a multidisciplinary tracheostomy team’s effect on length of stay and cost. Methods An airway management program using a balanced scorecard was created to track key performance measures. Interventions included weekly rounding, standardized placement, postoperative care, and caregiver education. Process measures included time to first education, speech-language pathology consultation rates, and pretracheostomy consultations. Outcome measures focused on the total length of stay, 30-day revisit rates after discharge, accidental decannulation rate, and standardized cost. Regression analysis was used to predict the program’s effect on length of stay and total cost. Results In total, 239 children met inclusion. The mean time to first education class was reduced from 13.7 to 1.9 days ( P < .001). The speech-language pathology consultation rate increased from 68% to 95% ( P < .001), and the presurgical consultation rate with the tracheostomy team increased from 14% to 93% ( P < .001). The length of stay decreased from 133 to 96 days ( P = .006). Total costs were lower for short admissions but higher for prolonged admissions. Revisits within 30 days remained stable over time (18%). Discussion Establishing a multidisciplinary tracheostomy team results in improvements in quality metrics when caring for children with tracheostomies. Controlling for associated factors showed the mean length of stay decreased significantly in the first full year of program implementation. Cost analysis estimated significant reductions for tracheostomy patients spending less time in the hospital. Implications for Practice A airway management program can positively affect tracheostomy processes and outcomes.

An Advanced Markov Switching Approach for the Modelling of Consultation Rate Data

Regime switching in conjunction with penalized likelihood techniques could be a robust tool concerning the modelling of dynamic behaviours of consultation rate data. To that end, in this work we propose a methodology that combines the aforementioned techniques, and its performance and capabilities are tested through a real application.

Measurements of Serum Mac-2-Binding Protein Glycosylation Isomer and Shear Wave Velocity in Health Checkups Are Useful in Screening for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Liver-related mortality rates in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) increase with advancing liver fibrosis stage. The present study aimed to elucidate whether adding non-invasive liver fibrosis tests to a comprehensive health checkup system is useful for NASH screening. Both serum Mac-2-binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) and point shear wave elastography (pSWE) using ultrasonography were performed for 483 health checkup subjects who consented to participate in this prospective study. Outcomes in positive subjects were surveyed 1 year later. Eighty-eight subjects (18%) showed positive results for at least one liver fibrosis test, with 63 subjects positive for pSWE, 33 subjects positive for M2BPGi, and 72 subjects showing no significant elevation of liver enzymes. The secondary consultation rate for positive subjects was 52% (46/88). However, as 15 of those 46 subjects visited a non-liver-specialist and could not undergo detailed examination, the secondary examination rate was only 35% (31/88). For the 31 subjects who received secondary examination, NASH was diagnosed in 14 subjects, other chronic liver disease (CLD) in 6 subjects, and no CLD in 11 subjects. Additional liver fibrosis tests using M2BPGi and pSWE appear useful in health checkups when screening for CLD, especially for NASH.

Consultation rate and chlamydia positivity among ethnic minority clients at STI clinics in the Netherlands

Objectives Although ethnic minority clients (EMs) from STI endemic countries have a higher risk for STI, little is known about their STI clinic consultation rate proportionality. The aim of this study was to assess consultation and chlamydia positivity rates among different EMs visiting STI clinics in the Netherlands. Methods We calculated consultation rates in EM groups by dividing the number of STI consultations by the total number of inhabitants in the region belonging to an EM, then compared the EM rates to native Dutch rates. Factors associated with chlamydia positivity were analysed using multivariate regression analysis. Results A total of 23,841 clients visiting an eastern Netherlands STI clinic between 2011 and 2013 were included in the analysis, of which 7% were EMs. The consultation rate of native Dutch clients was 22.5 per 1000, compared to 8.5 per 1000 among EMs. Consultation rates in all EMs were lower than in Dutch clients, except for Antillean or Aruban EMs and Latin American EMs. The chlamydia positivity rate among all clients was 15.5%, and Antillean or Aruban ethnicity (27.1%) EMs had the highest rates. Multivariate analysis identified the following factors associated with chlamydia positivity: Eastern or Northern European EM, African EM, Antillean or Aruban EM, STI related symptoms, heterosexual preference, partner in a risk group, receiving a partner notification, and having had three or more partners in the past six months. Conclusion On a population level, most EMs visit STI clinics less often than native Dutch clients, but they have a higher rate of positive chlamydia diagnoses. STI clinics should increase outreach activities for EM clients because they are insufficiently reached by current practices, but contribute substantially to chlamydia incidence rates.

Association between Influenza Vaccine Administration and Primary Care Consultations for Respiratory Infections: Sentinel Network Study of Five Seasons (2014/2015–2018/2019) in the UK

Influenza, a vaccine preventable disease, is a serious global public health concern which results in a considerable burden on the healthcare system. However, vaccine hesitancy is increasingly becoming a global problem. One prevalent misconception is that influenza vaccinations can cause the flu. We carried out this study to determine whether people undertaking influenza vaccination presented less with acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI) and influenza-like-illness (ILI) following vaccination. We utilised the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Research and Surveillance Centre sentinel database to examine English patients who received vaccination between 2014/2015 and 2018/2019. Of the 3,841,700 influenza vaccinations identified, vaccination details and primary care respiratory consultation counts were extracted to calculate the relative incidence (RI) per exposure risk period using the self-controlled case series methodology. Results showed a significant increase in the RI of respiratory consultation rates within fourteen days of vaccination across all five years. Less than 6.2% of vaccinations led to consultations for ARTI or ILI in primary care (crude consultation rate 6196 per 100,000). These findings, particularly if confirmed in further research, may reduce the risk of cross-infection between waiting patients and increase uptake of influenza vaccine.