UK primary care survey of venous leg ulceration management and referral - Post-EVRA trial.
Phlebology
; 36(1): 48-53, 2021 Feb.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32722985
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Determine standards of referral and management of patients with venous leg ulceration in primary care after the release of the EVRA (A Randomized Trial of Early Endovenous Ablation in Venous Ulceration) study results.METHODS:
An online questionnaire was disseminated over four months to professionals working within primary care.RESULTS:
The survey received 643 responses. Of respondents, 90 (14%) had heard of the EVRA trial and 51 (8%) were familiar with the results. Of those who answered the following questions, 410 (69.1%) stated that referral to a vascular specialist must be made by the General Practitioner and 13 (2.2%) reported that they would always refer patients for secondary care assessment before the publication of EVRA. Considering the EVRA results, 128 (29%) reported that they would change practice regarding referral and would experience no barriers and 198 (45%) reported that they would like to refer earlier but is not their decision. Barriers to changing practice included local referral policies, training and time restrictions, 266 (59%) had heard of the NICE guideline (CG168) and 194 (43%) were aware of the recommendations for referral to a vascular service within two weeks for patients with an open or healed ulcer.CONCLUSION:
There is a considerable variation in local referral pathways for venous leg ulceration, and despite clinicians wanting to refer promptly, many primary care professionals are unable to. Unfortunately, the EVRA study alone may not change the overall practice, and work is needed to overcome barriers faced by primary care professionals.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Varicose Ulcer
/
Leg Ulcer
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Phlebology
Journal subject:
ANGIOLOGIA
Year:
2021
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Reino Unido