Radiology departments as COVID-19 entry-door might improve healthcare efficacy and efficiency, and emergency department safety

Radiology departments as COVID-19 entry-door might improve healthcare efficacy and efficiency, and emergency department safety

Background Possible COVID-19 pneumonia patients (ppCOVID-19) generally overwhelmed emergency departments (EDs) during the first COVID-19 wave. Home-confinement and primary-care phone follow-up was the first-level regional policy for preventing EDs to collapse. But when X-rays were needed, the tradit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Insights into imaging 2021-01, Vol.12 (1), p.1-1, Article 1
Main Authors: García Santos, José M., Plasencia Martínez, Juana M., Fabuel Ortega, Pablo, Lozano Ros, Marina, Sánchez Ayala, María Carmen, Pérez Hernández, Gloria, Menchón Martínez, Pedro
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Confinement
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Decision analysis
Diagnostic Radiology
Emergency exits
Emergency medical services
Emergency medicine
Imaging
Internal Medicine
Interventional Radiology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neuroradiology
Original
Original Article
Oximetry
Pneumonia
Primary health care
Radiology
Reliability analysis
Time response
Ultrasound
Workflow
X-rays
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Summary:Background Possible COVID-19 pneumonia patients (ppCOVID-19) generally overwhelmed emergency departments (EDs) during the first COVID-19 wave. Home-confinement and primary-care phone follow-up was the first-level regional policy for preventing EDs to collapse. But when X-rays were needed, the traditional outpatient workflow at the radiology department was inefficient and potential interpersonal infections were of concern. We aimed to assess the efficiency of a primary-care high-resolution radiology service (pcHRRS) for ppCOVID-19 in terms of time at hospital and decision’s reliability. Methods We assessed 849 consecutive ppCOVID-19 patients, 418 through the pcHRRS (home-confined ppCOVID-19 with negative—group 1- and positive—group 2-X-rays) and 431 arriving with respiratory symptoms to the ED by themselves (group 3). The pcHRRS provided X-rays and oximetry in an only-one-patient agenda. Radiologists made next-step decisions (group 1: pneumonia negative, home-confinement follow-up; group 2: pneumonia positive, ED assessment) according to X-ray results. We used ANOVA and Bonferroni correction, Student T, Chi 2 tests to analyse changes in the ED workload, time-to-decision differences between groups, potential delays in patients acceding through the ED, and pcHRRS performance for deciding admission. Results The pcHRRS halved ED respiratory patients (49.2%), allowed faster decisions (group 1 vs. home-discharged group 2 and group 3 patients: 0:41 ± 1:05 h; 3:36 ± 2:58 h; 3:50 ± 3:16 h; group 1 vs. all group 2 and group 3 patients: 0:41 ± 1:05 h; 5.25 ± 3.08; 5:36 ± 4:36 h; group 2 vs. group 3 admitted patients: 5:27 ± 3:08 h vs. 7:42 ± 5:02 h; all p  
ISSN:1869-4101
1869-4101