RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Delivering an advice and guidance service in neurology
JF Practical Neurology
JO Pract Neurol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP 209
OP 212
DO 10.1136/practneurol-2021-003100
VO 22
IS 3
A1 Kirstie N Anderson
A1 Naomi Warren
A1 Martin Duddy
A1 Paul McKean
A1 James A L Miller
YR 2022
UL http://pn.bmj.com/content/22/3/209.abstract
AB It is increasingly common for secondary care to provide advice to primary care without an outpatient appointment. Even before the increased telemedicine during COVID-19, many hospital services gave advice alone for some referrals, yet there are few published data about patient outcomes. Does advice and guidance alter outpatient numbers or simply mean that patients are seen later? Which neurological conditions can we manage at a distance? Do complaints increase from either primary care or patients? Do clinics become more complex and time consuming? Our department has developed an advice and guidance service embedded within the English electronic referral system since 2017, allowing detailed analysis of the outcome of 6500 patients over 2.5 years. We suggest ways to set up and run a neurology advice and guidance service, looking at the potential benefits and the barriers.