Risk stratification policy adequately assesses procedure postponement during COVID-19
A triage policy developed during the first wave of COVID-19 seemed ‘adequate’ regarding significant diagnosis and impact on patient management, based on the assessment of postponed procedures, according to a presentation at ESGE Days.
“Based on the analysis of [postponed procedure], the triage policy adopted during the first wave of the COVID outbreak appeared adequate in terms of proportion of [significant diagnosis] and impact on patient management,” Sohaib Ouazzani, MD, from Erasme University Hospital, department of gastroenterology hepatic pancreatology and digestive oncology at the Free University of Brussels in Belgium, said during his presentation.
Ouazzani and colleagues modified the endoscopic reporting system for two tertiary hospitals to allow prospective completion of the electronic database 6 weeks after the initiation of the cancellation policy. From May 1, 2020, to August 30, 2020, for each endoscopic procedure, endoscopists were asked whether examinations were postponed due to COVID-9; whether the examination revealed a significant diagnosis and whether postponing the examination significantly impact the patient’s management.
Of the 5,283 procedures performed, the endoscopists reported 476 as postponed procedures. Patients postponed 8.1% of the procedures and the hospital postponed 91.9%. According to the researchers, the examinations revealed a significant diagnosis in 70 cases in the postponed procedure group and 672 in the non-postponed procedure group.
Results showed postponing examinations significantly affected patient management in 14 cases. Four patients received delayed diagnosis on cancer management, three patients developed biliopancreatic complications, appropriate management was provided with delay in two patients with severe functional disease and three patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and two patients had severe esophagitis worsening.
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Ouzzani S, et al. Abstract OP83. Presented at: ESGE Days (virtual), Mar. 25-27, 2021.
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