RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Managing high-acuity outpatient services during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons from the acute diabetes foot service
JF Future Healthcare Journal
JO Future Healthc J
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP fhj.2020-0054
DO 10.7861/fhj.2020-0054
A1 Gurdev S Deogon
A1 Tim Robbins
A1 Manpal S Randeva
A1 Ioannis Kyrou
A1 Sailesh Sankar
A1 Harpal S Randeva
A1 Narasimha Murthy
YR 2020
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/early/2020/08/03/fhj.2020-0054.abstract
AB COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare services internationally. Many NHS organisations have cancelled outpatient clinics to release frontline clinical staff and minimise risk of patients contracting COVID-19. While many outpatient services manage chronic diseases, a number of services manage high-acuity patients. Delivery of these acute outpatient services during the pandemic has posed particular challenges and required significant service model reconfiguration. The acute diabetes foot clinic is an important example of such a service. We explore the important lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic for managing high-acuity outpatient services through the context of the diabetic foot clinic. Learning can be divided into the following categories: remote and digital working, physical changes in service delivery, workforce challenges and post-pandemic preparedness. This learning is applicable to a wide range of high-acuity services during and following the pandemic. It is particularly relevant as we expand outpatient care provision to avoid hospital admissions.