Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Tests / investigations'.
Found 89 results
-
Content ArticleTests that indicate the health of newborns, moments after birth, are limited and not fit-for-purpose for Black, Asian and ethnic minority babies, and need immediate revision according to the NHS Race and Health Observatory.
-
Content ArticlePostpartum hypertensive disorders pose a serious health risk to new mothers; nearly 75 percent of maternal deaths associated with hypertensive disorders occur in the postpartum period. For the past decade, the obstetrics department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has tried to lower these risks by checking patients’ blood pressure after they are released from the hospital. Their initial efforts to have patients return to the office for an in-person blood pressure check shortly after discharge yielded disappointing results, so the team revamped their approach and ultimately developed an extremely successful program called Heart Safe Motherhood. The programme started when the team at HUP gave a small group of women a blood pressure cuff each. They told them they would receive text messages after discharge instructing them to take their blood pressure at 8am, and that they would need to send in the reading. At 1pm, they would get another text requesting that they send their blood pressure again. This article describes how Heart Safe Motherhood evolved to improve the likelihood of mothers submitting their readings, and how the programme was scaled up to five hospitals in the group. It looks at how the approach has helped tackled health inequalities and improved the safety of postpartum mothers.
-
News ArticleThe NHS may be missing more than 9 million referrals, while patients face a “postcode lottery” for cancer treatment and routine operations, a parliament watchdog has warned. Millions of patients have either avoided or been unable to obtain healthcare during the pandemic leaving the NHS with a potential unknown backlog of operations, which could push the national waiting list to 12 million by 2025. A report from the government’s National Audit Office today also warned patients across England are facing a postcode lottery in terms of waits with some hospital waiting lists far larger than others following the pandemic. Eve Byrne, head of campaigns and public affairs, at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “This report confirms what we hear day in, day out from people living with cancer. Chronic staffing shortages are already having a devastating impact on cancer patients, and we have major concerns that is only set to worsen without urgent action. She said the government’s plan to tackle operations backlog must be backed up by steps to ensure enough nurses staff. “Without these critical pieces of the puzzle, we risk increasing numbers of people facing later diagnoses, poorer care and potentially worse chances of survival. This has to change,” she added. Read full story Source: The Independent, 1 December 2021
-
News ArticleA blood test designed to detect more than 50 types of cancer at an early stage will be trialled by the NHS. More than 165,000 people in England will be offered the tests from next year. If successful, the NHS hopes to expand it to 1m people from 2024. Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said early detection had the potential "to save many lives". While some welcomed the pilot, others cautioned the test was still untried and untested. Developing a blood test for cancer has been keeping scientists busy for many years without much success. Making one that's accurate and reliable has proved incredibly complex - the danger is that a test doesn't detect a person's cancer when they do have it, or it indicates someone has cancer when they don't. This test, developed by the Californian firm Grail, is designed to detect molecular changes in the blood caused by cancer in people with no obvious symptoms. As part of a large-scale pilot, also funded by the company, 140,000 participants aged between 50 and 79 will be asked to take the tests for the next three years. Another 25,000 people with possible cancer symptoms will also be offered testing after being referred to hospital in the normal way. Read full story Source: BBC News, 27 November 2020
-
News Article
Patients' access to vital NHS tests delayed by warehouse failure
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors are being told to "think carefully" before ordering any tests for their patients, amid shortages caused by a supply chain failure at a major diagnostics company. Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche said problems with a move to a new warehouse had led to a "very significant" drop in its processing capacity. A spokesman said COVID-19 tests would be prioritised, but the backlog could affect tests including for cancer and heart disease. One NHS trust in the south west has already advised its GPs to stop all non-urgent blood tests. A memo seen by the BBC, sent to clinicians within a large hospital trust in London, said leaders were "preparing for a sustained disruption". "We urgently need all clinical teams to only send tests that are absolutely essential for immediate patient care, delaying testing where possible," it said. Thyroid and cortisol tests were unavailable, while certain cholesterol, liver function and inflammation tests were "severely restricted". Read full story Source: BBC News, 7 October 2020 -
News ArticlePeople awaiting a CT or MRI scan will be able to have one on the high street under NHS plans to improve access to diagnostic tests. NHS England plans to set up a network of new “one-stop shops” where patients will be able to have scans closer to home rather than having to go hospital. They are intended to reduce the risk of patients getting COVID-19 in hospital and speed up the time it takes to undergo diagnostic testing by having more capacity. NHS England’s governing board approved a plan on Thursday by Prof Sir Mike Richards to create “community diagnostic hubs across the country over the next few years”. It is part of a planned “radical overhaul” in the way patients access a range of diagnostic tests, screening appointments and other services. The hubs, which would open six days a week, may also perform blood tests, lung function checks and endoscopies, in which a camera is put down the throat. The new facilities would be sited in disused shops or in shopping centres. They are part of the NHS’s drive to make it easier for people to be tested without having to go to hospital, amid concern that reluctance to do so is part of the reason fewer people are undergoing cancer screening. It is already undertaking lung cancer tests in 10 mobile centres that are parked at supermarkets and shopping centres. Bigger hubs could also offer mammograms, eye health checks, scans for pregnant women, hearing tests and gynaecological services. Hospital bosses welcomed the plan, which they said should reduce waiting times. Miriam Deakin, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “Doing these checks in the community rather than in hospital could support trusts as they grapple with a second wave of Covid-19, winter pressures and tackling backlogs of care.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 1 October 2020
-
News Article
Leaked data gives first view of growing cancer waiting list post covid peak
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Official data from mid-September shows that nearly 6,400 people had waited more than 100 days following a referral to cancer services. The leaked data reveals for the first time the length of the cancer waiting list in the wake of the first pandemic peak, during which much diagnostic and elective cancer care was paused. The list consists of those waiting for a test, the outcome of a test, or for treatment. NHS England and Improvement only publish waiting times for patients who have been treated – not the number still waiting – so this information has been secret. The data, obtained from official emails seen by HSJ, showed the total number of people on the cancer waiting list grew substantially, from 50,000 to around 58,000, between the start of August and the middle of September. Of the 6,400 people recorded to be waiting more than 104 days on 13 September, 472 had a “decision to treat classification”, meaning they have cancer and are awaiting treatment. NHS England has said reducing the cancer waiting list would be overseen by a national “taskforce”, which is being chaired by national director for cancer Peter Johnson. Experts have warned the delays already stored up in the system could cost tens of thousands of lives as patients go undiagnosed or have their diagnosis and treatment later than they otherwise would. HSJ asked NHS England if harm reviews had been carried out for those on the waiting list and whether it had discovered if those waiting longer than104 days had been harmed, but did not receive an answer. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 29 September 2020 -
News ArticleWomen aged 70 or over are receiving substandard care to tackle ovarian cancer with one in five patients in their seventies getting no treatment whatsoever, a new study has found. A report from Ovarian Cancer Action revealed almost half of patients in their 70s do not undergo surgery to treat the disease, even though it provides the best long-term prognosis for one of the most common types of cancer in women. In total, around one in five (22%) of ovarian cancer patients aged 70 to 79 and three in five women with ovarian cancer who were over 80 years old were given no treatment for the disease. The inadequate healthcare given to older ovarian cancer patients causes a disproportionately high short term death rate for them, the study found. The study found older patients are substantially less likely to be referred by their GP for diagnostic tests such as ultrasounds when ovarian cancer symptoms surface. Dr Susana Banerjee, a consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden, said: “With an ageing population, many more patients with ovarian cancer are over the age of 70, so there is an urgent need to understand the best way to effectively treat older women." “Optimising patients for treatment through frailty assessments and interventions, sharing best practice across cancer centres and representing older patients in clinical trials are important steps towards ensuring equal access to effective and tolerable treatment that could help more women live beyond their diagnosis, with a good quality of life, no matter their age.”
-
News Article
Smear tests: Women to trial 'do-it-at-home' kits for NHS
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
About 31,000 women in London are being offered "do-it-at-home" tests to check for early warnings of cervical cancer, as part of an NHS trial. It could be a way to encourage more women to get screened, experts hope. Embarrassment, cultural barriers and worries about Covid, along with many other factors, can stop women going for smear tests at a clinic or GP surgery. Smear-test delays during the pandemic prompted calls for home-screening kits from cervical cancer charities. The swabbing involves using a long, thin cotton bud to take a sample from inside the vagina, which is then sent by post for testing. If the results reveal an infection called human papillomavirus (HPV) they will be invited to their GP for a standard smear test to closely examine the cells of their cervix. Dr Anita Lim, from King's College London, who is leading the YouScreen trial, said: "Women who don't come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer. "So it is crucial that we find ways like this to make screening easier and protect women from what is a largely preventable cancer. Self-sampling is a game-changer." Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 February 2021 -
News Article
CT scan catches 70% of lung cancers at early stage, NHS study finds
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Thousands of lives could be saved if people at risk of developing Britain’s deadliest cancer were screened to diagnose it before it becomes incurable, a major NHS study has found. Giving smokers and ex-smokers a CT scan uncovers cancerous lung tumours when they are at an early enough stage so they can still be removed, rather than continuing to grow unnoticed, it shows. Experts are demanding the government moves to bring in routine CT scanning of smokers and ex-smokers in order to cut the huge death toll from lung cancer. About 48,000 people a year are diagnosed with the disease in the UK and 35,100 die from it – 96 a day. Lung cancer is a particularly brutal form of cancer because it is hard to detect and three out of four cases are diagnosed at stage three or four, when it is already too late to give the person potentially life-saving treatment. However, the Summit study, being run by specialists in the disease at University College London Hospital NHS trust, offers real hope that lung cancer can become a condition that is detected early. CT scanning meant that 70% of the growths detected in people’s lungs were identified when the disease was at stage one or two – a huge increase in the usual rate of early diagnosis. “It’s really a major breakthrough for lung cancer,” Dr Sam Janes of UCLH, the senior investigator of the trial, told the Guardian. "Lung cancer has never had anything that enabled us to detect this devastating cancer earlier and offer curative treatment to this number of lung cancer patients.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 February 2021 -
News ArticleNearly 500 women had to have their cervical smear tests redone after it emerged the nurse who carried them out was not qualified. 'Dishonest' Alison Watts failed to tell her bosses at an NHS surgery that she failed her course and continued screening women for almost two and a half years. When it was discovered Watts had not passed the qualification, 461 women had to be recalled to have the cervix test again so they could have 'quality assured' tests. Now Watts has been struck off for the shocking breach of trust, with a tribunal ruling that she put patients at 'significant risk of harm'. A Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] report said: 'This was not a single instance of misconduct but involved 461 patients over a two year period. There is evidence of sustained dishonesty and deep-seated attitudinal issues.' Read full story Source: Daily Mail, 26 January 2021
-
News ArticleA new study by Staffordshire University shows that people who understand their ‘heart age’ are more likely to make healthy lifestyle changes. 50 preventable deaths from heart attack or stroke happen every day and Public Health England’s online Heart Age Test (HAT) allows users to compare their real age to the predicted age of their heart. The tool aims to provide early warning signs of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, encouraging members of the public to reduce their heart age through diet and exercise and to take up the offer of an NHS Health Check. CHAD Research Associate Dr Victoria Riley, who led the study, said: “Deaths from heart attack or stroke are often preventable and so addressing health issues early is incredibly important. Our findings show that pre-screening tests, such as the HAT, can encourage individuals to evaluate their lifestyle choices and increase their intentions to change behaviour.” Read full story Source: Brigher Side of News, 10 October 2021
-
News ArticleGPs are failing to urgently refer patients with “red flag” signs of suspected cancer to a specialist, research suggests. Six out of 10 patients in England with key symptoms indicating possible cancer did not receive an urgent referral for specialist assessment within two weeks, as recommended in clinical guidelines, according to a new study. Nearly 4% of these patients were subsequently diagnosed with cancer within the next 12 months. The findings were published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety. In the study, researchers analysed records from almost 49,000 patients who consulted their GP with one of the warning signs for cancer that should warrant referral under clinical guidelines. Of the 29,045 patients not referred, 1,047 developed cancer within a year (3.6%). Early diagnosis and prompt treatment is crucial to survival chances. Every four-week delay in cancer treatment increases the risk of death by 10%. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 October 2021
- Posted
- 1 comment
-
1
-
- (and 2 more)
-
Content ArticleRates of blood testing in primary care are rising. Communicating blood test results generates significant workload for patients, GPs, and practice staff. This study from Watson et al. explored GPs’ and patients’ experience of systems of blood test communication. The study found that methods of test result communication varied between doctors and were based on habits, unwritten heuristics, and personal preferences rather than protocols. Doctors expected patients to know how to access their test results. In contrast, patients were often uncertain and used guesswork to decide when and how to access their tests. Patients and doctors generally assumed that the other party would make contact, with potential implications for patient safety. Text messaging and online methods of communication have benefits, but were perceived by some patients as ‘flippant’ or ‘confusing’. Delays and difficulties obtaining and interpreting test results can lead to anxiety and frustration for patients and has important implications for patient-centred care and patient safety.
-
Content ArticleMany people with Long Covid experience varying levels of long-term cognitive impairment, but the causes of this are not well understood. This preprint longitudinal observational study aimed to identify links between cognitive impairment and different biomarkers in people with Long Covid. The authors reported the findings of 128 prospectively studied patients who had tested positive for Covid. They looked at: lung function, physical and mental health at two months post diagnosis. blood cytokines, neuro-biomarkers and kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolites at 2-, 4-, 8- and 12-months post diagnosis. The study identified that KP metabolites were significantly associated with cognitive decline and could therefore offer a potential therapeutic target for treating cognitive impairment related to Long Covid.
-
Content ArticleThis retrospective cohort study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to identify opportunities for timely investigations or referrals in patients presenting with potential symptoms of colon and rectal cancer, or abnormal blood tests. The study found evidence that patients with these cancers presented with low haemoglobin, high platelets and high inflammatory markers as early as nine months pre-diagnosis, and the authors suggest that starting cancer-specific investigations or referrals earlier may be beneficial in patients with some of these diagnostic markers.
-
Content ArticleClosed-loop communication—when every test result is sent, received, acknowledged and acted upon without failure—is essential to reduce diagnostic error. This requires multiple parties within the healthcare system working together to refer, carry out tests, interpret the results and communicate them in language the patient can understand. If abnormal test results are not communicated in a timely manner, it can lead to patient harm. This Quick Safety case study looks at the case of a 47-year-old school teacher who had a screening mammogram. The radiologist identified a suspicious area of calcifications, which required follow up. The patient’s GP was not on the same electronic medical record (EMR) as the imaging centre and, because of front office changes, missed the notification to follow up. The patient was told that the radiologist would contact her if the results were abnormal and therefore assumed she was okay. A year later when seeing her GP, the patient was told that she needed follow-up testing and that she had stage 3 cancer. Her lesion had grown significantly, and she now required surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for advanced breast cancer. The case study suggests safety actions that should be considered to prevent this error from happening again.
-
Content ArticleThis editorial in BMJ Quality & Safety looks at the need for urgent improvement in the test result management and communication process in primary care. The authors highlight the inconsistency in tracking and communicating test results and look at potential solutions to reduce the patient safety risks associated with test results. They look at the evidence surrounding automated alerts built into provider IT systems and giving patient direct access to test results through apps, highlighting the growing importance of patients in safeguarding their own care through actively pursuing test results.
-
Content ArticleIn the UK, regulation prevents prescription-only medications being advertised directly to consumers, but not medical tests. This opinion piece in the BMJ raises concerns about the growing availability and popularity of consumer blood testing. The authors found that dozens of companies are offering health screening for a range of conditions and deficiencies through blood testing kits for use at home. They are often advertised to people with symptoms such as tiredness, low energy, irritability, sleep problems and weight issues. The authors highlight that reading blood test results requires context and training, and results can give people a false sense of security or panic depending on whether they are perceived to be in 'normal' range. They call for guidance on mixing NHS and private care to be updated and recommend that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should be empowered to appraise private screening and the apps that recommend it.
-
Content ArticleThe number of people on NHS Wales waiting lists for treatment has reached record levels. This problem has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the average wait time for treatment more than doubling since December 2019. This report by the Welsh Centre for Public Policy identifies five key areas in which policy could be developed to improve outcomes and reduce waiting times. These areas target the underlying factors causing increased waiting times, and are likely to both improve the overall performance of the health system, and to impact outcomes which matter to patients, resulting in a more patient-centred approach: Workforce capacity Digital technology Reimagining primary care Systems collaboration Follow-up care
-
EventuntilAre you a patient who has been waiting to receive a diagnosis or test results during the last six months? This includes, but is not limited to, CT scans, MRI scans, and endoscopy and dermatology procedures. Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your service? Would you like to help to improve the patient experience of waiting for a diagnosis? The Patients Association is holding an online Zoom patient group discussion on this topic on Tuesday 27th October, 2.00-4.00pm, and we are seeking patients to take part. An £80 incentive payment will be offered in Amazon vouchers and places are limited. Participants will be chosen on the basis of suitability to ensure the group is representative of a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. Please fill in the registration form https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CRNMC2T if you are interested.
-
Content ArticleIn this letter, Jeremy Hunt, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, welcomes recent announcements regarding future support for Long COVID patients but raises a number of continuing concerns. Hunt makes several calls for action, as the number of people suffering continues to increase.
-
Content ArticleThis letter, published by the BMJ, is written by a group of doctors affected by persisting symptoms of suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Their aim is to share their insights from both personal experience of the illness and their perspective as physicians. In the letter they call for a number of principles to be used so that the best possible outcomes can be achieved for all people affected by persisting symptoms of COVID-19. These principles fall under three categories: Research and surveillance Clinical services Patient involvement Access to services.
-
Content ArticleOn 28 August 2020, LongCovid.org and partners sent a letter to Jeremy Hunt, Chair of the Health & Social Care Committee, to ask for the UK Government to assemble a multi-disciplinary Long Covid taskforce to consider: improvements to (continuing) professional education more and better research quality psychosocial and mental health services better public health programmes help for NHS and social care workers to return to work safely funding for patient-led support groups. The full letter can be read via the link below.
-
Content ArticleThis article, by Nisreen Alwan, argues that defining and measuring recovery from COVID-19 should be more sophisticated than checking for hospital discharge, or testing negative for active infection or positive for antibodies. She highlights the number of previously healthy people with persistent symptoms such as chest heaviness, breathlessness, muscle pains, palpitations and fatigue, which prevent them from resuming work or physical or caring activities.
