Improving sustainability in the ENT Clinic: The one-stop clinic
Key points
- The one-stop clinic provides a platform for patients to have consultant-led care and undergo all investigations required in a single clinical visit
- It reduces travel-related carbon footprint and the number of hospital visits each patient requires
- Patients and staff found the one-stop clinic more convenient.
Summary
This study looked at how a one-stop rhinology and facial plastic surgery clinic affected how often patients travelled to attend hospital appointments. We measured the impact of the one-stop clinic on the number of hospital appointments patients needed and how this affected the way clinicians worked.
The study participants were new referrals from primary or secondary care. Patients participating in the study received two outpatient clinic appointments, one face-to-face and one virtual, within 12 weeks. Data was collected on carbon emissions produced by patients travelling to and from the clinic. We also measured the number of potential visits to the hospital reduced by the one-stop clinic.
The study results found that the clinic reduced the need for hospital visits and positively impacted travel-related carbon emissions. For example, out of 21 patients who attended the clinic, 12 were scheduled for surgery during their virtual follow-up appointment, seven were discharged from the service, and two were referred onwards. The average patient had seven investigations, and 39 fewer clinic appointments were needed across all 21 patients. This resulted in patients travelling less, and the study reported an estimated 75% drop in carbon emissions compared to the standard clinical pathway. During a survey, all patients said they preferred the one-stop clinic to a traditional clinic model. Surgeons conducting virtual follow-up clinics were surveyed and felt working from home one day a week improved quality of life and reduced symptoms of burnout.
Impact
Overall, the findings showed that the one-stop model has many advantages. Patients preferred it over the traditional clinic model, and it also reduced carbon emissions and hospital visits. Surgeons conducting virtual follow-up appointments reported an improved quality of life and reduced symptoms of burnout. This suggests that the one-stop model can be successfully integrated into ENT surgery clinics to reduce wait times and carbon emissions.
Keywords
Sustainability, ENT surgery, carbon emissions, productivity