RACE to diagnosis at VJH

Photo: Contributed

A UBC study shows earlier diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers at VJH.

A rapid access clinic at Vernon Jubilee Hospital has led to earlier diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers and reduced staff overtime costs, a new UBC study shows.

The new clinic model, called the Rapid Access Clinic for Endoscopy or RACE, cut the average wait time for urgent endoscopy by almost 90 per cent and there were more than four times as many cancers diagnosed in those patients.

“The results were significant,” said Dr. Jacqueline Reid, a first-year UBC internal medicine resident at VJH and one of the authors of the study. “With shorter wait times, cancers can be detected and diagnosed much earlier and patient outcomes can be improved.”

An endoscopy is where a diagnostic instrument is inserted into an organ or cavity to investigate internal health issues. It is often used to detect an illness that may not show up on an x-ray and can help identify tumours, ulcers, internal bleeding or inflammation.

The study compared six months of 2016 hospital data using RACE to the same timeframe in 2015 before the rapid access protocol was implemented. Data showed that the time from a doctor's referral to actually having the procedure was reduced from 97.7 to 12.1 days in urgent cases.

“The new clinic uses a direct-to-endoscopy process for worrisome symptoms like bleeding or weight loss,” said Dr. Hamish Hwang, VJH general surgeon, a clinical assistant professor with the UBC Department of Surgery and lead author of the study. “When we get referrals from within the hospital or from family physicians in the community, patients bypass an office appointment and get their scope within two weeks.”

Hwang said the RACE model could be adapted to fit within other community hospitals right across the country.

In terms of staffing, nursing overtime costs for the hospital decreased by 69 per cent, during the study.