Delayed referral for orchidopexy: Scrutinising the causes

Orchidopexy for undescended testis is recommended at a younger age than heretofore; our study aimed to assess delays, and their causes, by retrospective analysis of data from a single tertiary care centre over one year (2015–2016). Almost 80% of children were brought after 1 year of age, mostly because of delayed referral by primary physicians (60%), or missed diagnosis by parents or primary physicians (20%). Misconception about the risk of surgery below 1 year was significant (15%). A timely referral is encouraged.

Delayed referral and treatment of paediatric cancer in Nigeria: Time to stop blaming the victim

Background: Caregiver delay in presentation has been cited as a major contributor to poor prognosis of paediatric cancers in low-middle income countries like Nigeria. This study explored the time duration between onset of symptoms and presentation to healthcare facilities, diagnosis, and referral for specialist care. Methods: Data were compiled from caregivers of newly registered children at a teaching hospital in Nigeria. Sociodemographic and clinical history of the child were taken. Type of cancer, date of diagnosis, centre where the diagnosis was made, treatment start date, and duration of symptoms until treatment were elicited from consenting caregivers and documented. Results: Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was the most prevalent cancer type among the patients. The mean time from first symptom to presentation was 15 weeks and from presentation at any health care facility to specialist referral and diagnosis was 38 and 39 weeks, respectively. Time from diagnosis to treatment was a mean of 8 weeks (range: 1 to 27 weeks) Conclusion: Delayed presentation has become a commonly cited factor for poor cancer outcomes in Nigeria and may often inaccurately assign blame to the patient/caregivers. The results of this study point to delayed detection, delayed diagnosis and delayed referral for specialist care, as more accurate contributors to late-stage presentation and consequently worse outcomes of paediatric cancers in Nigeria. Strengthening of community and primary level healthcare professionals’ understanding of paediatric cancers, establishment of simple detection algorithms and national implementation of efficient referral protocols will potentially reduce delays in specialist attention and improve outcomes.

Guidance for Timely and Appropriate Referral of Patients With Advanced Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Among the estimated 6.2 million Americans living with heart failure (HF), ≈5%/y may progress to advanced, or stage D, disease. Advanced HF has a high morbidity and mortality, such that early recognition of this condition is important to optimize care. Delayed referral or lack of referral in patients who are likely to derive benefit from an advanced HF evaluation can have important adverse consequences for patients and their families. A 2-step process can be used by practitioners when considering referral of a patient with advanced HF for consideration of advanced therapies, focused on recognizing the clinical clues associated with stage D HF and assessing potential benefits of referral to an advanced HF center. Although patients are often referred to an advanced HF center to undergo evaluation for advanced therapies such as heart transplantation or implantation of a left ventricular assist device, there are other reasons to refer, including access to the infrastructure and multidisciplinary team of the advanced HF center that offers a broad range of expertise. The intent of this statement is to provide a framework for practitioners and health systems to help identify and refer patients with HF who are most likely to derive benefit from referral to an advanced HF center.

Pitfalls and technical errors in the first approach to neonates with anorectal malformations in a non-specialist context: can we do any better? A review from three Eastern African Centres

Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, Anorectal malformations (ARM) are the most frequent cause of neonatal obstruc- tion. Referral to a Pediatric Surgeon is frequently delayed. The first treatment is often delivered at not specialist level and mismanagement may result. Aim: To study ARM patients referred beyond neonatal period and managed at a non-specialist level. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty patients were included (M/F ratio 63/67) among 144 admitted to three Eastern African Hospitals with Pediatric Surgical facilities. Demographics, type of anomaly, delay on referral, previous man- agement, most commonly observed errors are reported. Results: The Mean age at referral was 23 months (range five weeks – 23 years). Colostomy was the most frequent surgery (92 cases). Stomas often did not follow the recommended criteria. Ten per cent were not on the sigmoid, and 35% were not divided. "Loop" or "double-barrel" colostomies did not exclude the distal loop. Inverted (10,5%), prolapsed stomas (7,5%), short distal loop (16%) were observed. Twenty-four cases (26%) needed redo. Primary perineal exploration in eight patients resulted in incontinence. Conclusions: Investments on training practitioners, acting at District/Rural level, and closer links with tertiary centres are recommended to avoid ARM mismanagement and delayed referral to a Specialist. Keywords: Ano rectal malformations; neonate; low resources context.

Early Diagnosis of Lung Cancer in the United Arab Emirates: Challenges and Strategic Recommendations

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), lung cancer (LC) was the third leading cause of deaths due to cancer in 2017. Around 80% of the patients in the UAE are diagnosed at a late stage, rendering the treatment less effective in improving survival outcomes. Lack of awareness of disease symptomatology, deficient screening initiatives, misdiagnosis, and delayed referral to the specialist are contributing factors for delayed diagnosis. Effective screening at a primary care setting can be crucial for early diagnosis, referral to specialists, and enhancing patient outcomes. It is important to establish screening and referral guidelines through which each suspected case can be identified and provided timely intervention. Although the international screening and referral pathway framework are comprehensive, several regional barriers need to be addressed before they can be adapted at the national level. A group of LC experts from the UAE deliberated on issues like delayed diagnosis of LC and strategic recommendations for overcoming the challenges. The discussion was based on the review of the published evidence, international and regional guidelines for screening and early diagnosis of LC. Herein, we present a guideline, endorsed by the esteemed panel of experts, for aiding early diagnosis and optimizing the management of LC in the UAE.

A scoping review of vision rehabilitation services in Canada

Around 1.5 million Canadians live with some form of vision impairment. The demand for vision rehabilitation (VR) services is projected to increase as the number of older adults with age-related vision loss rises. To inform programmes and policies for VR, we aimed to answer two research questions: (1) How are VR services delivered in Canada? and (2) If gaps exist in current delivery of VR services, how can they be characterized? We used Arksey and O’Malley scoping review framework. A comprehensive search of five databases (PubMed, CINAHL/EBSCO, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Global Health) was performed during January 2019 and then updated in March 2021. Index terms and keywords relating to vision loss or impairment and rehabilitation were used. Non-peer-reviewed (grey) literature, in the form of reports and policies on VR in Canada, was sourced via Google/Google Scholar. To be included, sources had to (1) focus on VR services in Canada, (2) be available in English or French, and (3) be published after 2003. Data were extracted and analysed thematically to describe VR services across provinces and to identify gaps in service delivery in Canada. Out of 1311 studies identified, 62 were included. Findings indicate that the structure of VR services as well as provincial funding for assistive devices varies across provinces. The reported gaps at the level of service providers, users, and delivery systems were lack of awareness about the benefits of VR, limited collaboration and coordinated services between eye care and VR services, delayed referral to VR, shortage of specialists, and insufficient funding and training for vision devices. This article describes VR services in Canada and documents important gaps in VR services and research evidence across provincial jurisdictions. Future work to address gaps, and develop and evaluate interventions to facilitate optimal VR services is imperative.

Attitudes of Croatian pulmonologists concerning obstacles to earlier, more appropriate use of biologics in severe asthma: Survey results

Aims Biologics have been proven efficacious for patients with severe asthma (SA). It is essential to diagnose such individuals correctly. This study was designed to survey pulmonologists to identify barriers to early diagnosis and subsequent appropriate use of biologics for SA in Croatia. Methods A pulmonologist group with expertise in SA developed the initial list of questions, with the final questionnaire created according to a 2-round Delphi method. The resulting survey consisted of 23 items consequently divided into 4 domains: 1) Pulmonologists’ demographics and professional experiences; 2) Concerns about asthma management; 3) Attitudes toward SA diagnosis; and 4) Beliefs and attitudes regarding the use of biologics in managing SA. The given answers represented the respondents’ estimates. Results Eighty-four surveys were analyzed, with pulmonologists observing that general practitioners often inaccurately diagnose asthma and treat acute exacerbations. Although specialist centers are capably and correctly equipped, the time to diagnose patients with SA is approximately 3.5 months, with initial use of biologics delayed an additional 2 months. The primary indications for prescribing biologics are conventional therapy with oral glucocorticoids (91.7%) and frequent acute exacerbations (82.1%). In addition to improper diagnosis (64.3%), many patients with SA do not receive the indicated biologics owing to strict administrative directives for reimbursement (70.2%) or limited hospital resources (57.1%). Limitations The limitations of this survey include the subjective nature of the collected data, the relatively small sample size, and the lack of the biologic efficacy evaluation. Conclusions Croatian pulmonologists observed that a significant number of patients with SA who are eligible for biologics are not prescribed them, largely because of an inaccurate and/or delayed diagnosis, a delayed referral to a specialist center, highly restrictive criteria for reimbursement, and/or institutional budgetary limitations.

Second-tier testing for 21-hydroxylase deficiency in the Netherlands; a newborn screening pilot study

Background Newborn screening (NBS) for classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) consists of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) measurement with gestational age-adjusted cut-off values. A second heel puncture (HP) is performed in newborns with inconclusive results to reduce false-positives. We assessed the accuracy and turnaround time of the current CAH NBS-algorithm and compared this to alternative algorithms by performing a second-tier 21-deoxycortisol (21-DF) pilot-study. Methods Dried blood spots (DBS) of newborns with inconclusive and positive 17-OHP (immunoassay) first HP results were sent from regional NBS laboratories to the Amsterdam UMC Endocrine Laboratory. In 2017–2019 21-DF concentrations were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, in parallel with routine NBS. Diagnoses were confirmed by mutation analysis. Results 328 DBS were analyzed. 37 newborns had confirmed classic CAH, 33 were false-positive and 258 were categorized as negative in the second HP following the current algorithm. In the second-tier, all 37 confirmed CAH had elevated 21-DF concentrations, all 33 false-positives and 253/258 second HP negatives had undetectable 21-DF concentrations. The elevated 21-DF of the other five newborns may be NBS false-negatives or second-tier false-positives. Adding the second-tier to inconclusive first HPs reduced the number of false-positives to 11 and prevented all 286 second HPs. Adding the second-tier to both positive and inconclusive first HPs eliminated all false-positives at the cost of delayed referral for 31 CAH patients (1–4 days). Conclusion Application of the second-tier 21-DF measurement to inconclusive first HPs improved our CAH NBS by reducing false-positives, abolishing the second HP and thereby shortening referral time

Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Prior to Otolaryngology Referral: An Opportunity for Quality Improvement

Objective The management of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) by a nonotolaryngologist prior to otolaryngology referral is an important component of the patient care pathway. The purpose of this study is to characterize CRS management during this period and to identify areas of quality improvement. Study Design Retrospective review of a national claims database. Setting Academic institution. Methods Data were analyzed from the IBM Health MarketScan Research Databases (2013-2017). Patients with 3-year enrollment data were identified who were initially diagnosed with CRS by a nonotolaryngologist and subsequently seen by an otolaryngologist. Management of CRS by the nonotolaryngologist was assessed in terms of duration, demographics, health care resource utilization, and health care expenditure. Results A total of 51,273 patients met inclusion criteria. The median length of the referral period was 142 days, with variations according to geography. Patients with a delayed referral period had higher health care resource utilization in terms of visits for CRS (mean, 1.8 vs 1.2), total visits (mean, 12.6 vs 3.9), and medication prescriptions (especially antibiotics; mean, 5.8 vs 2.1). Health care expenditure was almost twice as high for the delayed referral group (mean, $986 vs $571), mainly due to CRS-related medication costs (mean, $578 vs $214). Conclusion Our findings suggest that there are wide variations in how CRS is managed prior to referral to an otolaryngologist. The dissemination of clinical practice guidelines to primary care providers may help to increase efficiency of CRS care and offers a unique opportunity for quality improvement that extends beyond the bounds of our own specialty.

Late registration for antenatal care by pregnant women with previous history of caesarean section

Background: Despite good access to antenatal care (ANC) services for most women, and regular training of healthcare workers in obstetrics and gynaecology, many pregnant women with a previous history of caesarean section (C/S) still presented late for ANC services at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital (LIIMH) in Maun, Botswana. This may increase morbidity and mortality in women with previous C/S delivery and neonates. Knowing why women with previous C/S present late for ANC may help in the formulation of interventions that decrease morbidity and mortality amongst these women and neonates.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the reasons why pregnant women with a previous history of C/S registered late for ANC, at LIIMH.Setting: This study was performed at LIIMH, a district hospital situated in Maun, Botswana.Methods: This was a descriptive qualitative study. Consenting pregnant women with previous C/S who presented at LIIMH after the 20 weeks of pregnancy were interviewed until data saturation. The data was analysed for themes.Results: The reasons for late registration at LIIMH include lack of information, misconception on the appropriate booking time and venue, dissatisfaction with the quality of ANC clinic services, use of alternative ANC providers, delayed referral, and pregnancy experience.Conclusion: Lack of knowledge of ANC delivery venue, using alternative ANC providers, and dissatisfaction with ANC clinic services, contributed to late registration. Pregnant women with previous history of C/S should be informed about ANC, delivery plans, and the assistance of alternative ANC providers should be explored.