Zhu Yinan, Chen Zehong, Ding Anni, Walter Hannah, Easto Rachel, Wilde Adam
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University College Hospital, London, GBR.
Trauma and Orthopaedics, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, GBR.
Cureus. 2021 Sep 29;13(9):e18375. doi: 10.7759/cureus.18375. eCollection 2021 Sep.
Background 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. Methods A 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. Results Seventy-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. Conclusions Overall, 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.
作为为期两周的头颈癌转诊途径的一部分，电话分诊咨询于2020年3月在全国范围内实施。这是为应对新冠疫情而采取的措施，旨在优化癌症转诊流程，尽量减少与医疗服务机构不必要的接触和预约。本研究旨在评估在一家区综合医院环境下患者对这种新型电话分诊系统的满意度。
使用了一份专门设计的患者满意度调查问卷，涵盖患者体验的不同方面。这些问题改编自几份内部验证过的问卷。2020年，访员对两个为期4周的时间段内所有持续的新头颈癌转诊患者进行了回顾性电话调查。收集了对初始咨询方式（电话分诊或面对面）的问卷回复，并对数据进行了定性和定量分析。
共收到75份回复，其中51名患者对初始电话分诊咨询提供了反馈。患者对电话分诊咨询在大多数领域的满意度为满意至非常满意，总体评分为4.29分（满分5分）。电话分诊的可及性和效率是满意度最低的领域。55%的患者愿意在疫情之后接受类似的电话分诊咨询。定性分析显示，患者对疫情期间电话分诊咨询的安全性和便利性表示赞赏，但普遍倾向于面对面咨询，并对缺乏体格检查表示不满。
总体而言，患者对疫情期间采用的电话分诊咨询感到满意，对护理的多个方面满意度较高。然而，对于因缺乏/延迟体格检查以及无法充分解决转诊带来的恐惧和焦虑而导致的可及性和效率问题存在担忧。对于电话分诊系统是否应长期保留，各方反应不一。
