104: Group pre-assessment for patients undergoing chemotherapy: Our experience at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Poster abstracts of the 15th Annual BTOG / Lung Cancer 103S1 (2017) S1–S81

S47

Table 1 (abstract 103) Responses to patient experience questionnaire Strongly Disagree

Patient experience criteria

Disagree

Neither Agree nor Disagree

Agree

Strongly Agree

The IPP was polite and appropriately addressed me during the consultation

–

–

–

–

8

I felt comfortable consulting with the IPP

–

–

–

1

7

The IPP took an appropriate amount of time to listen to me during the consultation

–

–

–

–

8

The IPP addressed any queries/concerns I had appropriately (including referring to a senior member of the team where necessary)

–

–

–

–

8

I felt comfortable with the IPP examinating me (if applicable)

–

–

–

–

8

I felt involved in decisions concerning my care

–

–

–

–

8

I felt treatment decisions/options were made in partnership with myself and the prescriber

–

–

–

–

8

I felt I was told as much as I wanted to know regarding my medications

–

–

–

–

8 8

I felt the IPP understood me and my point of view

–

–

–

–

I have a good relationship with my IPP

–

–

–

1

7

I have confidence in my IPP

–

–

–

2

6

104

Group pre-assessment for patients undergoing chemotherapy: Our experience at The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

B. Allos, R. Redgrave, W. Davies, A. Chatterjee Clinical Oncology, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom Introduction: Waiting time targets in England and Wales state cancer treatment must commence within 31 days of the treatment plan being agreed. Often, pressures on chemotherapy units, such as low staffing levels and capacity, delays starting chemotherapy. This may impact outcomes. To improve capacity and waiting times we have implemented group pre-assessment (GPAC) for all prospective chemotherapy patients at our trust. Methods: Previously each patient received a 1-hour pre-assessment appointment with a dedicated nurse. For non-urgent patients we have established GPAC clinics since January 2014. These are run three times a week by volunteers in conjunction with one chemotherapy nurse and accommodate 6 patients per session. Patients watch a 25-minute DVD providing general information on chemotherapy in addition to introducing the unit, nurses and general treatment procedures. A unit tour follows this. Each patient receives a diagnosis-specific tumour pack and the session concludes with a 10-minute one-to-one meeting with a nurse to discuss their personal treatment regime. Results: We pre-assess up to 18 patients a week via GPAC. Since implementation we have reduced nursing hours needed for this service to a maximum of 6 hours per week. From September 2015 to August 2016 a total of 667 patients attended GPAC clinic with 312 nursing hours required. Our unit has consequently saved 355 nursing hours over that time period (Figure 1). Patient satisfaction with the service remains high with 24/25 (96%) of patients surveyed rating

Fig. 1 (abstract 104). Number of hours of nursing time saved on Chemotherapy Day Centre.

the service as good to excellent across five categories. With GPAC initiation, our average chemotherapy waiting time has reduced to 13 days from over 20 days. Conclusion: By initiating GPAC our department has significantly saved nursing hours allowing us to re-allocate these to chemotherapy delivery and service development. With increased capacity to treat patients waiting times have been significantly reduced. This has not been to the detriment of patient satisfaction. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. 105

National Thoracic surgery PPI group identify key questions in routine clinical care for further research

S. Kadiri1, J. Taylor1, R. Kyle1, A. Kerr2, E. Bishay1, M. Kalkat1, R. Steyn1, P. Rajesh1, B. Naidu1 1 Thoracic Research, Heart of England Trust, SS, United Kingdom; 2 Thoracic Surgery Research, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom Introduction: Patient and public involvement helps us understand and improve healthcare and treatments. A national group incorporating patient and carers who have had experience of thoracic surgery was developed in 2016. Involving this group could enhance thoracic surgery research. The aim of this study was to determine from the patient and carer perspective what could be improved with the thoracic surgery pathway to increase satisfaction and care thus enhancing clinical outcomes. Methods: 15 patients and carers from the national Thoracic surgery PPI group were sent a questionnaire via post. This consisted of 10 open ended questions regarding the service, education and advice they received before and after their lung surgery. They were also asked to comment on their experience as an inpatient, at the point of discharge and provide any suggestions for improvement. The questions were semi structured which allowed flexibility to follow up responses. Each questionnaire was analysed using phenomenological approach in order to gather a deep understanding of the patients and carer’s experiences through an inductive method. Results: Three themes were gathered from this audit; ambiguity regarding information; continuous need for reassurance, reflection, interpretation, and finally psychological impact. Patients required additional advice to cope with the physical and mental changes which affected their daily lives. Conclusion: It is evident that patient and public involvement in developing ideas for further research in thoracic surgery is invaluable. Their insight and experience can assist healthcare professionals and make appropriate improvements to the service for the benefit of future patients. From this audit it is apparent that receiving sufficient information and advice is vital to patient to