Outpatient pharmaceutical office: access to medicines in public health

Abstract We evaluated the implementation of the outpatient pharmaceutical office in a teaching hospital regarding the access to medicines available in the Unified Health System - SUS. This is a descriptive-analytical study, based on secondary data analysis of 735 appointments performed by the pharmacist from 2015 to 2017. Of the drugs prescribed to patients attended at the outpatient pharmacist office, 86.39% were listed in the National List of Essential Medicines - RENAME, of which 95.43% belonged to the Specialized Component of Pharmaceutical Assistance. Evaluating the patient's diagnosis against the inclusion criteria of the Clinical Protocols and Therapeutic Guidelines (PCDT), that the most frequent pharmaceutical interventions were: adequacy of the medication request documents (56.4%) and examination requests for pharmacotherapeutic follow up (28.5%). When the prescribed drugs were not included in RENAME/PCDT, the intervention was accepted in 90.3% of the proposals for exchange with available drug in SUS. Still, it was possible to refer the patient to primary care for renewal of continuity of treatment in 95.1% of cases. In conclusion, the role of the clinical pharmacist contributes to the resolution of untreated health problems by promoting access to medicines within the scope of SUS and their rational use in accordance with the PCDT.

Effects of a physician- and pharmacist-managed clinic on pain management in cancer patients in China.

In China, pharmacists have started to manage cancer pain at outpatient clinics. This retrospective study performed at a tertiary teaching hospital was aimed to evaluate the effects of a physician-pharmacist joint clinic for cancer pain management. The study was performed between December 2016 and August 2019 and included 113 outpatients with moderate to severe cancer-related pain. Patients were divided into two groups according to the clinic each patient visited: the physician-pharmacist joint clinic (joint group, n = 59) or physician-only clinic (usual group, n = 54). Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Morisky Medication Adherence Measure (MMAM) were used to collect data on pain intensity, interference and medication adherence. Pain Management Index (PMI) was also calculated. BPI, MMAM and PMI were assessed at baseline (patients' first visit, week 0) and week 4 follow-up. The Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at week 4. The primary outcomes were the improvement in pain intensity, adequacy of pain management and medication adherence. The secondary outcome was the improvement in HRQoL. At week 4, compared to the usual group, the BPI pain intensity categories except the pain right now were significantly lower in the joint group: worst pain, 4 (3-7) vs 6 (4-8), P = .020; least pain, 1 (0-2) vs 2 (1-3), P = .010; average pain, 3 (2-4) vs 4 (2-5), P = .023; pain right now, 2 (1-3) vs 2 (0-4), P = .796. For the seven pain interference categories, there were no significant improvements in the joint group (P > .05). Significantly more patients achieved adequate pain control in the joint group than the usual group ((P = .002). There was also a significant difference in medication adherence between the two groups (P = .001). There were no significant differences in HRQoL between the two groups. The study suggests that pharmacist participation in outpatient cancer pain management is associated with improvement of patients' pain control and medication adherence.

A retrospective study comparing interventions by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists in outpatient chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The differences in the clinical pharmacy services (CPS) provided by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists have not been sufficiently explained. AIM: This study aimed to demonstrate the differences in direct CPS provided by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists for patients and physicians, and to assess the potential impact of these services on medical costs. METHODS: We retrospectively examined CPS provided by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists for outpatients who underwent chemotherapy between January and December 2016. RESULTS: In total, 1177 and 1050 CPS provided by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists, respectively, were investigated. The rates of interventions performed by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists for physicians-determined treatment were 18.5% and 11.3%, respectively (p < .001). The rates of oncology and non-oncology pharmacist interventions accepted by physicians were 84.6 and 78.8%, respectively (p = .12). Level 4 and Level 5 interventions accounted for 64.6% of all oncology pharmacist interventions and 53.0% of all non-oncology pharmacist interventions (p = .03). The rates of improvement in symptoms from adverse drug reactions among patients resulting from interventions by oncology and non-oncology pharmacists were 89.4 and 72.1%, respectively (p = .02). Conservative assessments of medical cost impact showed that a single intervention by an oncology and by a non-oncology pharmacist saved ¥6355 and ¥3604, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggested that CPS by oncology pharmacists enable safer and more effective therapy for patients with cancer and indirectly contribute to reducing health care fees.

Optimizing Throughput in Clinical Practice: Lean Management and Efficient Care in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

BACKGROUND: As the cost of health care continues to rise, the role of medical providers has evolved to include the duties of an operations manager. Two theories of operations management can be readily applied to health care-lean management, the process of identifying and eliminating waste; and Little's law, the idea that throughput is maximized by changing the capacity to host patients or the time they spend in the system. Equipped with theories of operations management, providers are better able to identify and address flow limitations in their own practices. METHODS: Operations flow data were collected from three areas of care-clinic, surgical booking, and the operating room-for one provider. Variables of interest included visit or procedure characteristics and operations flow characteristics, such as different time points involved in the sector of care. RESULTS: Clinic data were collected from 48 patients. Variables with a significant relationship to total clinic visit time included afternoon appointments (p = 0.0080) and visit type (p = 0.0114). Surgical booking data were collected for 127 patients. Shorter estimated procedure length (p = 0.0211) decreased time to surgery. Operating room data were collected for 65 cases. Variables with a significant relationship to total operating room time were patient age (p = 0.0325), Charlson Comorbidity Index (p = 0.0039), flap type (p = 0.0153), and number of flaps (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This brief single-provider study provides examples of how to apply operations management theories to each point of care within one's own practice. Although longitudinal data following patients through each point of care are the next step in operations flow analysis, this work lays the foundation for evaluation at each time point with the goal of developing practical strategies to improve throughput in one's practice.

COVID-19 pandemic: an Italian single institution's experience and lessons learned by public health residents' workforce.

Methods: We hereby provide a systematic description of the response actions in which the public health residents' workforce was pivotal, in a large tertiary hospital. Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic has posed incredible challenges to healthcare workers worldwide. The residents have been affected by an almost complete upheaval of the previous setting of activities, with a near total focus on service during the peak of the emergency. In our Institution, residents in public health were extensively involved in leading activities in the management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. Results: The key role played by residents in the response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic is highlighted by the diversity of contributions provided, from cooperation in the rearrangement of hospital paths for continuity of care, to establishing and running new services to support healthcare professionals. Overall, they constituted a workforce that turned essential in governing efficiently such a complex scenario. Conclusions: Despite the difficulties posed by the contingency and the sacrifice of many training activities, Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic turned out to be a unique opportunity of learning and measuring one's capabilities and limits in a context of absolute novelty and uncertainty.

Establishing a Cardiac Amyloidosis Clinic: A Practical Primer for Cardiologists.

Cardiac amyloidosis is an emerging and important cause of heart failure, arrhythmia, and other cardiovascular disease in Canada. In this context, many centres have expressed interest in the development of effective care pathways for screening, evaluating, and treating this rapidly growing patient population. In October 2019, a group of Canadian stakeholders met, including specialists in cardiac amyloidosis, experts in heart failure and chronic disease management, and academic and community-based cardiologists at various stages of cardiac amyloidosis clinic development. Objectives of the meetings included discussion of existing care pathways, consideration of barriers to program development, and achieving a consensus on essential and desirable components of a best-practice cardiac amyloidosis program. Topics discussed included optimal settings for cardiac amyloidosis clinics and integration with other specialty clinics, funding limitations that act as barriers to program development and potential solutions to these barriers, the roles of the multidisciplinary team and specialist physicians in amyloidosis care, and diagnostic pathways and strategies for the identification of patients with cardiac amyloidosis. In this report, we summarize the discussion points and key recommendations for the development of a cardiac amyloidosis clinic that emerged from this meeting, focused on program integration and care coordination, human resource elements, access to care, and quality improvement and outcome measures in cardiac amyloidosis.

Fatores de riscos psicossociais e dimensões do trabalho em profissionais de Enfermagem de ambulatório universitário / Psychosocial risk factors and dimensions of work in Nursing professionals at a university outpatient clinic

Objetivo: Analisar as dimensões do trabalho que constituem fatores de risco psicossocial e suas repercussões no sofrimento e adoecimento das profissionais de enfermagem de ambulatório de hospitais universitários. Método: Estudo quantitativo, transversal, realizado nos 11 ambulatórios dos hospitais universitários localizados no município do Rio de Janeiro. Foram participantes da pesquisa 388 profissionais atuantes na assistência de enfermagem dessas unidades. O instrumento de coleta de dados contemplou um questionário para caracterização sociodemográfica, ocupacional e de saúde e o Protocolo de Avaliação dos Riscos Psicossociais Relacionados ao Trabalho. Os dados foram organizados, processados e analisados com o auxílio do programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, versão 21.0. As análises bivariadas foram realizadas utilizando a razão de chances, odds ratio (OR), com intervalo de confiança de 95%, com um nível de significância de 5% para verificar a associação entre as variáveis. A coleta de dados orientou-se pela obediência aos princípios éticos da pesquisa com seres humanos, sendo aprovado por oito comitês de Ética em Pesquisa. Resultados: A equipe de enfermagem ambulatorial aponta para um perfil de feminilidade maior que em outras unidades, profissionais mais velhas, casadas, com filhos, negras e com qualificação superior às exigidas para o cargo. Dentre as características ocupacionais, destacou-se o vínculo permanente, sendo um percentual significativo com mais de um vínculo, exercendo uma carga horária superior a 30 horas semanais. A maioria era de técnicas de enfermagem e já havia trabalhado em outro setor dentro da instituição, sendo no turno diurno independente do vínculo. Em relação ao tempo de trabalho, a média foi de 23,7 anos na enfermagem, 17,8 anos na instituição e 8,3 anos no ambulatório. No que diz respeito às características relacionadas à saúde, a maioria apresentou autoavaliação positiva da saúde, não apresentou afastamento por doença no último ano, possuía problema de saúde relacionado ao trabalho e apresentava doenças crônicas. A organização do trabalho em ambulatórios de hospitais universitários foi avaliada como risco médio pelos respondentes, o que significa um estado de alerta/situação limite para os riscos psicossociais no trabalho dos profissionais de enfermagem. Para esses profissionais há presença moderada dos estilos de gestão gerencialista e coletivo nos ambulatórios universitários. Em relação ao sofrimento patogênico, os fatores falta de sentido no trabalho e falta de reconhecimento apresentaram baixo risco psicossocial, enquanto o fator esgotamento mental apresentou risco médio. Os danos físicos foram avaliados como risco médio, já os danos psicológicos e sociais apresentaram resultado positivo, representando baixos riscos psicossociais. Conclusões: A partir do entendimento de que a natureza do trabalho da enfermagem não é passível de mudanças, e que esta, por si, já expõe o trabalhador a riscos com potencial de causar danos à sua saúde, medidas interventivas devem ser realizadas nas dimensões do trabalho que se constituem fatores de risco psicossocial e se apresentaram nesta pesquisa relacionados à organização do trabalho e gestão dessas unidades, a fim de minorar o sofrimento e os danos dos profissionais de enfermagem que atuam nos ambulatórios universitários. Contribuições para a enfermagem: A partir desses resultados, pretende-se sensibilizar os gestores das unidades para a necessidade de implementar ações que foquem nas condições desfavoráveis de trabalho, visando sua adequação, possibilitando melhoria no desempenho da equipe de enfermagem, com vista à prestação de serviços de qualidade, mas também à preservação de sua saúde. Atenção deve ser dada aos modelos hierarquizados, hegemônicos nos serviços de saúde, que impedem a autonomia no trabalho da enfermagem, dificultam o estabelecimento de relações cooperativas e o sentimento de valorização e reconhecimento, essenciais para a transformação do sofrimento em prazer no trabalho.

Objective: To analyze the work dimensions that represent psychosocial risk factors and their repercussion in the suffering and illness of the Nursing professionals working in outpatient clinics of university hospitals. Method: A quantitative and cross-sectional study conducted in the 11 outpatient services of the university hospitals located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The research participants were 388 professionals working in the Nursing assistance sector of these units. The data collection instrument included a questionnaire for sociodemographic, occupational and health characterization, as well as the Protocol for the Evaluation of the Work- Related Psychosocial Risks. The data were organized, processed and analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences program, version 21.0. The bivariate analyses were performed using Odds Ratio (OR), with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% significance level to verify the association between the variables. Data collection was guided by observance of the ethical principles of research with human beings, being approved by eight Research Ethics committees. Results: The outpatient Nursing team points to a greater female profile than in other units, older professionals, married, with children, black-skinned and with higher qualifications than those required for the position. Among the occupational characteristics, permanent employment contract stood out, with a significant percentage of people having more than one contract, representing an hour load of over 30 hours a week. Most of the participants were nursing technicians and had already worked in another sector within the institution, in the day shift regardless of the contract. In relation to the working time, the mean values were 23.7 years in Nursing, 17.8 years in the institution, and 8.3 years in the outpatient service. Regarding the characteristics related to health, most of them presented a positive health self- assessment, did not take medical leaves in the past year, had some work-related health problem, and presented chronic diseases. Work organization in the outpatient services of university hospitals was assessed as with medium risk by the respondents, which means a state of alert/borderline situation for the psychosocial risks in the Nursing professionals' work. For these professionals, there is moderate presence of the managerial and collective management styles in the university outpatient services. In relation to pathogenic suffering, the "lack of meaning in work" and "lack of recognition" factors presented low psychosocial risk, while the "mental exhaustion" factor presented medium risk. The physical harms were assessed as with medium risk; on the other hand, the psychological and social harms presented a positive result, representing low psychosocial risks. Conclusions: Based on the understanding that the nature of the Nursing work is not subjectable to changes, and that such nature per se already exposes workers to risks with the potential to cause harms to their health, intervention measures must be implemented in the work dimensions that constitute psychosocial risk factors and were presented in this research as related to the work organization and management of these units, in order to mitigate distress and harms in the Nursing professionals working in the outpatient services of university hospitals. Contributions to Nursing: Based on these results, the intention is to sensitize the units' managers regarding the need to implement actions focused on the unfavorable working conditions, aiming at their adaptation, enabling an improvement in the performance of the Nursing team, with a view to quality in the provision of services, but also to preserving their health. Attention must be paid to the hierarchical models, hegemonic in the health services, which preclude autonomy in the Nursing work, hinder the institution of cooperative relationships and of a feeling of appreciation and recognition, essential to transform suffering into pleasure at work.

Objetivo: Analizar las dimensiones del trabajo que constituyen factores de riesgo psicosocial y sus repercusiones en el sufrimiento y las enfermedades de los profesionales de Enfermería de los servicios ambulatorios de hospitales universitarios. Método: Estudio cuantitativo y transversal realizado en los 11 servicios ambulatorios de los hospitales universitarios situados en el municipio de Rio de Janeiro. Los participantes del estudio de investigación fueron 388 profesionales de Enfermería de estas unidades. El instrumento para la recolección de datos incluyó un cuestionario para la caracterización sociodemográfica, ocupacional y de salud y el Protocolo de Evaluación de los Riesgos Psicosociales Relacionados con el Trabajo. Los datos se organizaron, procesaron y analizaron con la ayuda del programa Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, versión 21.0. Los análisis bivariados se realizaron utilizando Odds Ratio (OR), con intervalo de confianza del 95% y nivel de significancia del 5% para verificar la asociación entre las variables. La recolección de datos se basó en la obediencia de los principios éticos de la investigación con seres humanos. Resultados: El equipo de Enfermería ambulatoria apunta a un perfil femenino mayor que en otras unidades, profesionales de más edad, casadas, con hijos, de raza negra y con calificaciones superiores a las exigidas para el cargo. Entre las características ocupacionales, se destacó el vínculo permanente, donde un porcentaje significativo de las profesionales poseía más de un vínculo laboral, con una carga horaria superior a 30 horas semanales. La mayoría de las participantes eran técnicas de Enfermería y ya habían trabajado en otro sector de la institución, en el turno diurno e independientemente del vínculo laboral. En relación con el tiempo de trabajo, los valores medios fueron 23,7 años en Enfermería, 17,8 años en la institución y 8,3 años en el servicio ambulatorio. Con respecto a las características relacionadas con la salud, la mayoría presentó una autoevaluación positiva de la salud, no tuvo que tomar licencia por enfermedad durante el último año, tuvo problemas de salud relacionados con el trabajo y presentó enfermedades crónicas. Las entrevistadas evaluaron la organización del trabajo en los servicios ambulatorios de hospitales universitarios como de riesgo medio, lo que significa un estado de alerta/situación límite para los riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo de los profesionales de Enfermería. En el caso de estos profesionales, se registra una moderada presencia de los estilos de gestión gerencialista y colectivo en los servicios ambulatorios universitarios. En relación con el sufrimiento patogénico, los factores «falta de sentido en el trabajo¼ y «falta de reconocimiento¼ presentaron un riesgo psicosocial reducido, mientras que el factor «agotamiento mental¼ presentó riesgo medio. Los perjuicios físicos se evaluaron como de riesgo medio, mientras que los psicológicos y sociales presentaron un resultado positivo, representando así riesgos psicosociales reducidos. Conclusiones: Sobre la base de comprender que la naturaleza del trabajo de Enfermería no es pasible de mudanzas y que, de por sí, dicha naturaleza ya expone al trabajador a riesgos con potencial de causar daños a su salud, deben implementarse medidas de intervención en las dimensiones del trabajo que representan factores de riesgo psicosocial y que, en esta investigación, se presentan relacionados con la organización del trabajo y la gestión de estas unidades, a fin de mitigar el sufrimiento y los perjuicios de los profesionales de Enfermería que se desempeñan en los servicios ambulatorios de hospitales universitarios. Contribuciones para la Enfermería: A partir de estos resultados, se pretende sensibilizar a los gerentes de las unidades con respecto a la necesidad de implementar acciones enfocadas en las condiciones desfavorables del trabajo, en pos de su adecuación, posibilitando así una mejora en el desempeño del equipo de Enfermería, con vistas a una prestación de servicios de calidad, como así también a preservar su salud. Debe prestarse atención a los modelos jerarquizados, hegemónicos en los servicios de salud, que impiden la autonomía en el trabajo de Enfermería, dificultan el establecimiento de relaciones de cooperación y el sentimiento de valorización y reconocimiento, esenciales para transformar el sufrimiento en placer laboral.

Managing patient flows in radiation oncology during the COVID-19 pandemic : Reworking existing treatment designs to prevent infections at a German hot spot area University Hospital.

PURPOSE: The described work aimed to avoid cancellations of indispensable treatments by implementing active patient flow management practices and optimizing infrastructure utilization in the radiation oncology department of a large university hospital and regional COVID-19 treatment center close to the first German SARS-CoV­2 hotspot region Heinsberg in order to prevent nosocomial infections in patients and personnel during the pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study comprised year-to-date intervention analyses of in- and outpatient key procedures, machine occupancy, and no-show rates in calendar weeks 12 to 19 of 2019 and 2020 to evaluate effects of active patient flow management while monitoring nosocomial COVID-19 infections. RESULTS: Active patient flow management helped to maintain first-visit appointment compliance above 85.5%. A slight appointment reduction of 10.3% daily (p = 0.004) could still significantly increase downstream planning CT scheduling (p = 0.00001) and performance (p = 0.0001), resulting in an absolute 20.1% (p = 0.009) increment of CT performance while avoiding overbooking practices. Daily treatment start was significantly increased by an absolute value of 18.5% (p = 0.026). Hypofractionation and acceleration were significantly increased (p = 0.0043). Integrating strict testing guidelines, a distancing regimen for staff and patients, hygiene regulations, and precise appointment scheduling, no SARS-CoV­2 infection in 164 tested radiation oncology service inpatients was observed. CONCLUSION: In times of reduced medical infrastructure capacities and resources, controlling infrastructural time per patient as well as optimizing facility utilization and personnel workload during treatment evaluation, planning, and irradiation can help to improve appointment compliance and quality management. Avoiding recurrent and preventable exposure to healthcare infrastructure has potential health benefits and might avert cross infections during the pandemic. Active patient flow management in high-risk COVID-19 regions can help Radiation Oncologists to continue and initiate treatments safely, instead of cancelling and deferring indicated therapies.

Models of outpatient neuropalliative care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe some current models of outpatient neuropalliative care (NPC) available to patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at different institutions within the United States. METHODS: Six NPC physicians were asked to contribute written descriptions about the PC available in their ALS clinics. Descriptions were then compiled and assessed for similarities and differences. RESULTS: All clinics are multidisciplinary, with regular appointments every 3 months and similar appointment times for new visits (60-120 minutes) and follow-up visits (20-45 minutes). Four clinics have an NPC specialist embedded within the ALS clinic, 1 institution has a separate clinic for NPC, and 1 institution has both. The NPC physician at 5 institutions is a neurologist with formal palliative care training and at 1 institution is an internist with formal palliative care training. NPC is part of routine care for all patients at 2 institutions, and the primary reasons for consultation are goals of care (GOC) and severe symptom management. CONCLUSION: NPC is provided to patients with ALS heterogeneously throughout the United States with some variation in services and delivery, but all clinics are addressing similar core needs. Given the poor prognosis and high PC needs, those with ALS are the ideal patients to receive NPC. Future studies are necessary given the paucity of data available to determine best practices and to better define meaningful outcomes.

Quick diagnosis units: predictors of time to diagnosis and costs.

Financial crisis has forced health systems to seek alternatives to hospitalization-based healthcare. Quick diagnosis units (QDUs) are cost-effective compared to hospitalization, but the determinants of QDU costs have not been studied.We aimed at assessing the predictors of costs of a district hospital QDU (Hospital Plató, Barcelona) between 2009 and 2016.This study was a retrospective longitudinal single center study of 404 consecutive outpatients referred to the QDU of Hospital Plató. The referral reason was dichotomized into suggestive of malignancy vs other. The final diagnosis was dichotomized into organic vs nonorganic and malignancy vs nonmalignancy. All individual resource costs were obtained from the finance department to conduct a micro-costing analysis of the study period.Mean age was 62 ±â€Š20 years (women = 56%), and median time-to-diagnosis, 12 days. Total and partial costs were greater in cases with final diagnosis of organic vs nonorganic disorder, as it was in those with symptoms suggestive or a final diagnosis of cancer vs noncancer. Of all subcosts, imaging showed the stronger correlation with total cost. Time-to-diagnosis and imaging costs were significant predictors of total cost above the median in binary logistic regression, with imaging costs also being a significant predictor in multiple linear regression (with total cost as quantitative outcome).Predictors of QDU costs are partly nonmodifiable (i.e., cancer suspicion, actually one of the goals of QDUs). Yet, improved primary-care-to-hospital referral circuits reducing time to diagnosis as well as optimized imaging protocols might further increase the QDU cost-effectiveness process. Prospective studies (ideally with direct comparison to conventional hospitalization costs) are needed to explore this possibility.

Covid-19 and ENT practice: Our experience: ENT outpatient department, ward and operating room management during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aims at assessing the effectiveness of the guidelines set up by our clinic for the protection of patients and staff which enabled us to proceed with urgent and oncological surgery after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Our ENT department devised specific equipment to be worn by the staff for personal protection when dealing with Covid-19 patients both in aerosol generating and non-generating procedures. Moreover, restrictive measures were enforced both for the outpatient department and for the ward where only urgent practices were carried out and visitors were not allowed, while non-urgent elective surgery was postponed. A codified scheme was followed to perform tracheostomy procedure in Covid-19 positive testing patients on the part of 3 specific teams of 2 surgeons each, while the resident educational program was reorganized to limit the spread of the infection. RESULTS: In about a couple of months (from March 8th to May 3rd) a relevant amount of medical tests and surgical procedures were carried out on non COVID-19 patients and a certain number of tracheostomies were performed on COVID-19 patients. Consequently, all the ENT personnel were checked and found negative. Also, all the patients in the ward were swab tested and chest X-rayed, only one had a positive outcome and was adequately handled and treated. CONCLUSION: Our ENT guidelines regarding personal protection equipment and multiple simultaneous diagnostic procedures have proved to be an essential instrument for the management of patients with both known and unknown COVID-19 status.

COVID-19 strategy in organizing and planning orthopedic surgery in a major orthopedic referral center in an area of Italy severely affected by the pandemic: experience of the Department of Orthopedics, University of Padova.

BACKGROUND: According to the required reorganization of all hospital activities, the recent COVID-19 pandemic had dramatic consequences on the orthopedic world. We think that informing the orthopedic community about the strategy that we adopted both in our hospital and in our Department of Orthopedics could be useful, particularly for those who are facing the pandemic later than Italy. METHODS: Changes were done in our hospital by medical direction to reallocate resources to COVID-19 patients. In the Orthopedic Department, a decrease in the number of beds and surgical activity was stabilized. Since March 13, it has been avoided to perform elective surgery, and since March 16, non-urgent outpatient consultations were abolished. This activity reduction was associated with careful evaluation of staff and patients: extensive periodical swab testing of all healthcare staff and swab testing of all surgical patients were applied. RESULTS: These restrictions determined an overall reduction of all our surgical activities of 30% compared to 2019. We also had a reduction in outpatient clinic activities and admissions to the orthopedic emergency unit. Extensive swab testing has proven successful: of more than 160 people tested in our building, only three COVID-19 positives were found, and of over more than 200 surgical procedures, only two positive patients were found. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive swab test of all people (even if asymptomatic) and proactive tracing and quarantining of potential COVID-19 positive patients may diminish the virus spread.

Hematology and oncology clinical care during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

New York City has been at the epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has already infected over a million people and resulted in more than 70,000 deaths as of early May 2020 in the United States alone. This rapid and enormous influx of patients into the health care system has had profound effects on all aspects of health care, including the care of patients with cancer. In this report, the authors highlight the transformation they underwent within the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology as they prepared for the COVID-19 crisis in New York City. Under stressful and uncertain conditions, some of the many changes they enacted within their division included developing a regular line of communication among division leaders to ensure the development and implementation of a restructuring strategy, completely reconfiguring the inpatient and outpatient units, rapidly developing the ability to perform telemedicine video visits, and creating new COVID-rule-out and COVID-positive clinics for their patients. These changes allowed them to manage the storm while minimizing the disruption of important continuity of care to their patients with cancer. The authors hope that their experiences will be helpful to other oncology practices about to experience their own individual COVID-19 crises.

Electronic patient-reported symptom monitoring in patients recovering from ambulatory minimally invasive gynecologic surgery: A prospective pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of an electronic symptom-tracking platform for patients recovering from ambulatory surgery. METHOD: We assessed user response to an electronic system designed to self-report symptoms. Endpoints included compliance, postoperative symptoms, patient satisfaction. An 8-item symptom inventory (pain, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, fever, swelling, discharge, redness) was developed and made available on postoperative days (POD) 2-6. Responses exceeding defined thresholds of severity triggered alerts to healthcare providers. Symptoms, alerts, actions taken, urgent care center (UCC) visits, hospital admissions were tracked until POD 30. Patient satisfaction was evaluated on POD 7. A patient was defined as "responder" if at least 5/8 items on at least 3 PODs were completed. The assessment method was deemed successful if 64/100 patients responded. RESULTS: 97/102 patients were evaluable; 65 met "responder" criteria (67% responder rate; 95% CI 57-76%). 321 surveys were completed (median 4/patient), 248 (77%) in ≤2 min. Involving caregivers and allowing additional symptom-reporting improved the responder rate to 72% (95% CI 58-84%). Most commonly-reported moderate, severe, very severe symptoms were pain, nausea, swelling; 71% reported moderate to very severe pain on POD 2. Phone calls and adjustment of medications adequately addressed most symptoms. Two patients (2%) presented at UCC before, 6 (6%) after, POD 6; 1 (1%) was admitted. Most agreed or strongly agreed that electronic symptom-tracking was helpful, easy to use, and would recommend it to others. CONCLUSION: Electronic symptom-tracking is feasible for patients undergoing ambulatory gynecologic cancer surgery. Symptom burden is high in the early postoperative period. Addressing patient-reported symptoms in a timely, automated manner may prevent severe downstream adverse events, reduce UCC visits and admission rates, and improve outcomes.

Pearls of experience for safe and efficient hospital practices in otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery in Hong Kong during the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic originated in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare an official global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In Hong Kong, clinicians and other healthcare personnel collaborated closely to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 and minimize the cross-transmission of disease among hospital staff members. In the field of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) and its various subspecialties, contingency plans were required for patient bookings in outpatient clinics, surgeries in operating rooms, protocols in wards and other services. Infected patients may shed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) particles into their environments via body secretions. Therefore, otolaryngologists and other healthcare personnel in this specialty face a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and must remain vigilant when performing examinations and procedures involving the nose and throat. In this article, we share our experiences of the planning and logistics undertaken to provide safe and efficient OHNS practices over the last 2 months, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that our experiences will serve as pearls for otolaryngologists and other healthcare personnel working in institutes that serve large numbers of patients every day, particularly with regard to the sharing of clinical and administrative tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specialist valve clinic in a cardiac centre: 10-year experience.

Aims: Guidelines recommend specialist valve clinics as best practice for the assessment and conservative management of patients with heart valve disease. However, there is little guidance on how to set up and organise a clinic. The aim of this study is to describe a clinic run by a multidisciplinary team consisting of cardiologists, physiologist/scientists and a nurse. Methods: The clinical and organisational aims of the clinic, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and links with other services are described. The methods of training non-clinical staff are detailed. Data were prospectively entered onto a database and the study consisted of an analysis of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of all patients seen between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018. Results: There were 2126 new patients and 9522 visits in the 10-year period. The mean age was 64.8 and 55% were male. Of the visits, 3587 (38%) were to the cardiologists, 4092 (43%) to the physiologist/scientists and 1843 (19%) to the nurse. The outcomes from the cardiologist clinics were cardiology follow-up in 460 (30%), referral for surgery in 354 (23%), referral to the physiologist/scientist clinic in 412 (27%) or to the nurse clinic in 65 (4.3%) and discharge in 230 (15%). The cardiologist needed to see 6% from the nurse clinic and 10% from the physiologist/scientist clinic, while advice alone was sufficient in 10% and 9%. Conclusion: A multidisciplinary specialist valve clinic is feasible and sustainable in the long term.

An Evaluation of the Effect of Pharmacist-Led Comprehensive Chemotherapy Consultation Services on Outpatient Appointment Adherence.

BACKGROUND: The North Carolina Cancer Hospital at the University of North Carolina Medical Center serves patients with a variety of malignant conditions and discharges more than 130 patients each month. Processes to improve transitions of care prompted implementation of a first-cycle, pharmacist-led chemotherapy consultation service on the inpatient oncology units. This process provides education to improve patient engagement and activation. High patient activation has been associated with better patient outcomes; poor patient activation has been associated with increased health care costs. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of pharmacist-led comprehensive chemotherapy consultation services on adherence to outpatient follow-up appointments within 30 days of discharge. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective chart review. This study consisted of 2 groups: adult patients who received comprehensive consultation services between April 2017 and September 2017 and a 2:1 historical group of adult control patients randomly selected from a list of patients who received their first cycle of chemotherapy during a hospital admission between April 2014 and April 2017. The primary endpoint was the effect of comprehensive consultation services on adherence to outpatient follow-up appointments within 1 month after discharge. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients were included in this study. The percentage of appointments attended was 98.0% for the intervention group and 92.3% for the control group (P = 0.0018). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that pharmacy consultation in the inpatient oncology setting is associated with improved adherence to outpatient appointments within 30 days of discharge. This represents the first published data on pharmacist interventions resulting in improved outpatient appointment adherence. DISCLOSURES: Funding for this study was contributed by the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA). This publication was also supported by Grant Number UL1TR002489 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. Auten reports fees from PTCE and ASHP/ACCP, unrelated to this study. Clark reports consulting fees from Ellion Benson Research, unrelated to this study. The other authors do not have any conflicts of interest to report. This study was presented as a trainee poster on April 5, 2019, at the HOPA Ahead 15th Annual Conference in Fort Worth, TX.

A 'hot clinic' for cold limbs: the benefit of urgent clinics for patients with critical limb ischaemia.

INTRODUCTION: The national reconfiguration of vascular surgery means that arterial centres serve larger populations with increased demand on resources. Emergency general surgery ambulatory clinics facilitate timely review and intervention, avoiding admission; a critical limb ischaemia (CLI) 'hot clinic' (HC) was implemented to achieve similar for vascular patients. The aim of the study was to determine HC efficacy. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study comparing HC patients with emergency admission (EA) patients between 1 May and 1 December 2017. Age, sex, comorbidities, CLI severity and smoking status were noted. HC patients were provided with satisfaction surveys. Primary outcome measures were freedom from reintervention and major amputation. Secondary outcome measures included time to procedure, length of stay, returns to theatre and 30-day readmission. RESULTS: A total of 147 patients (72 HC, 75 EA) were enrolled in the study. No statistical difference was found in age, sex, smoking status, severity of CLI or prevalence of comorbidities between the groups except that diabetes was more prevalent in EA patients (p=0.028). The median length of stay for the HC cohort was shorter (3 days vs 17 days, p<0.001), with no difference between time to procedure, return to theatre or 30-day readmission. HC patients were nearly 6 times more likely to experience freedom from reintervention (odds ratio: 5.824, p<0.001) and 2.5 times less likely to undergo amputation (odds ratio: 2.616, p=0.043). HC utilisation saved a total of 441 bed days. Over 90% of attendees responded with 100% positive feedback. CONCLUSIONS: A vascular HC facilitates urgent review and revascularisation. It provides comparable in-hospital outcomes and better long-term outcomes, with greater efficiency than hospital admission, demonstrating its value in treating CLI.