Abstract
BackgroundA telephone triage consultation, as part of the two-week wait head and neck cancer referral pathway, was implemented nationally in March 2020. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to stream cancer referrals to minimize unnecessary interactions and appointments with health services. The aim of this study is to assess patient satisfaction with this novel telephone triage system in the setting of a district general hospital.MethodsA custom designed patient satisfaction questionnaire covering different facets of the patient experience was used. These questions were adapted from several internally validated questionnaires. A retrospective telephone survey was conducted by interviewers for all continuous new head and neck cancer referrals over two 4-week periods in 2020. Questionnaire responses to the initial modality of consult (either telephone triage or face to face) were collected, and data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively.ResultsSeventy-five responses were received, with 51 patients providing feedback on an initial telephone triage consultation. Patients rated the telephone triage consultation to be between satisfied and very satisfied across most domains, with an overall score of 4.29 out of 5. Accessibility and efficiency of the telephone triage were the domains with the least satisfaction. Fifty-five percent of patients would be happy to receive a similar telephone triage consultation beyond the pandemic. Qualitative analysis showed praise for the safety and convenience of the telephone triage consultation during the pandemic but highlighted a general preference for a face-to-face consultation and dissatisfaction regarding a lack of physical examination.ConclusionsOverall, patients are satisfied with the telephone triage consultation employed in the pandemic, with high satisfaction rates for multiple aspects of care. However, there were concerns regarding the accessibility and inefficiency associated with a lack of/delayed physical examination and inability to adequately address the fear and anxiety associated with the referral. A mixed response is obtained on whether the telephone triage system should stay for the long run.
Highlights
A telephone triage consultation, as part of the two-week wait head and neck cancer referral pathway, was implemented nationally in March 2020. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to stream cancer referrals to minimize unnecessary interactions and appointments with health services
Patients are satisfied with the telephone triage consultation employed in the pandemic, with high satisfaction rates for multiple aspects of care
A mixed response is obtained on whether the telephone triage system should stay for the long run
Summary
The COVID-19 virus outbreak was declared a pandemic on 11th March 2020 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [1]. Social distancing is one such important measure to decrease the frequency and duration of social contact to reduce person-to-person transmission of the virus [2], in socially dense indoor environments including hospitals This is hugely relevant for the workup of head and neck cancers, as the COVID-19 virus predominantly resides in the airway, with high viral titres in the nasal and oral cavity [3]. A telephone triage consultation, as part of the two-week wait head and neck cancer referral pathway, was implemented nationally in March 2020. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to stream cancer referrals to minimize unnecessary interactions and appointments with health services. The aim of this study is to assess patient satisfaction with this novel telephone triage system in the setting of a district general hospital
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