PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rebekah Anstey
AU  - Jennifer Rossdale
AU  - Alexander Dereham
AU  - Eleanor Peter
AU  - Rey Tan
AU  - Robert Mackenzie Ross
AU  - Graham Robinson
AU  - Tom Hartley
AU  - Jay Suntharalingam
AU  - Jonathan CL Rodrigues
TI  - Screening success: A virtual MDT can reduce the number of patients requiring respiratory follow-up post-COVID-19 pneumonia in line with British Thoracic Society guidance
AID  - 10.7861/clinmed.2021-0124
DP  - 2022 Jan 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 45--50
VI  - 22
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/22/1/45.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/22/1/45.full
SO  - Clin Med2022 Jan 01; 22
AB  - The ongoing respiratory sequelae of COVID-19 pneumonia remain unclear, and the ideal follow-up of these patients is still a work in progress. We describe our experience of using a pre-follow-up multidisciplinary team (MDT) to decide the follow-up stream in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 pneumonia.Methods We reviewed all patients with a clinico-radiological diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to hospital during a 3-month period and assigned a follow-up stream based on British Thoracic Society guidance.Results We changed the follow-up pathway in 71% (277/392) and refined the pathway in 67% (261/392) of indeterminate cases. We also created an automated process for the general practitioner to book follow-up imaging and will use this process going forward.Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of the MDT review of cases with suspected COVID-19 pneumonia prior to clinic attendance to ensure appropriate patients are followed up and to optimise utilisation of outpatient imaging and clinics.