An advanced clinician practitioner in arthritis care can improve access to rheumatology care in community-based practice.

community health services health services accessibility integrated delivery systems interprofessional relations rheumatology

Journal

Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare
ISSN: 1178-2390
Titre abrégé: J Multidiscip Healthc
Pays: New Zealand
ID NLM: 101512691

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
2019
Historique:
entrez: 22 1 2019
pubmed: 22 1 2019
medline: 22 1 2019
Statut: epublish

Résumé

To facilitate access and improve wait times to a rheumatologist's consultation, this study aimed to 1) determine the ability of an advanced clinician practitioner in arthritis care (ACPAC)-trained extended role practitioner (ERP) to triage patients with suspected inflammatory arthritis (IA) for priority assessment by a rheumatologist and 2) determine the impact of an ERP on access-to-care as measured by time-to-rheumatologist-assessment and time-to-treatment-decision. A community-based ACPAC-trained ERP triaged new referrals for suspected IA. Patients with suspected IA were booked to see the rheumatologist on a priority basis. Diagnostic accuracy of the ERP to correctly identify priority patients; the level of agreement between ERP and rheumatologist (Kappa coefficient and percent agreement); and the time-to-treatment-decision for confirmed cases of IA were investigated. Retrospective chart review then compared time-to-rheumatologist-assessment and time-to-treatment-decision in the solo-rheumatologist versus the ERP-triage model. One hundred twenty-one patients were triaged. The ERP designated 54 patients for priority assessment. The rheumatologist confirmed IA in 49/54 (90.7% positive predictive value [PPV]). Of the 121 patients, 67 patients were designated as nonpriority by the ERP, and none were determined to have IA by the rheumatologist (100% negative predictive value [NPV]). Excellent agreement was found between the ERP and the rheumatologist (Kappa coefficient 0.92, 95% CI: 0.84-0.99). In the ERP-triage model, time-from-referral-to-treatment-decision for patients with IA was 73.7 days (SD 40.4, range 12-183) compared with 124.6 days (SD 61.7, range 26-359) in the solo-rheumatologist model (40% reduction in time-to-treatment-decision). A well-trained and experienced ERP can shorten the time-to-Rheumatologist-assessment and time-to-treatment-decision for patients with suspected IA.

Identifiants

pubmed: 30662267
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S183397
pii: jmdh-12-063
pmc: PMC6327890
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

63-71

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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Auteurs

Vandana Ahluwalia (V)

Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, William Osler Health System, Brampton, ON, Canada, vandana@sympatico.ca.

Tiffany L H Larsen (TLH)

Department of Physiotherapy, Headwaters Health Care Center, Orangeville, ON, Canada.

Carol A Kennedy (CA)

Musculoskeletal Health and Outcomes Research, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Taucha Inrig (T)

Musculoskeletal Health and Outcomes Research, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Katie Lundon (K)

Office of Continuing Professional Development and the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, ON, Canada.

Classifications MeSH