Community outpatient Orthopaedic clinics; a post pandemic model of care
Authors:
S Kohli, J Smith, R Clowes, S Davis, J Vincent, C Senior
Hospital:
Dorset County Hospital
Aim
In response to the elective orthopaedic backlog created by the Covid19 pandemic, we developed a secondary care community clinic service outside of the main hospital site. The facility provides a holistic, multidisciplinary alternative to the standard outpatient clinic model for Orthopaedic patients, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the experience. This study describes patient satisfaction and experience of using the new temporary facility to inform the development of a permanent outpatient centre utilising the same model of care.
Methods
Two surveys were created to evaluate the environment, design, flow, and experience of patients and staff who attended the community clinic. Data was collected from 05/01/2022 to 28/02/2022 and 01/08/2022 to 31/08/2022.
Results
A total of 296 responses were collected. The significant majority (82-96%) of patients and staff rated the overall environment as good or very good and would recommend the service to family or friends. Key atmospheric themes include positive remarks on a collaborative feel, welcoming and a spacious environment.
Conclusions
The community outpatients centre has had a significant impact on the care we deliver patients. The large open space with clinical hubs provides flexibility to develop new patient pathways and services. Patient and staff feedback from the experience has been very positive, with a high-cost efficiency.