Fast-track access to urologic care for patients with macroscopic haematuria is efficient and cost-effective: results from a prospective intervention study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Fast-track access to urologic care for patients with macroscopic haematuria is efficient and cost-effective

T2 - results from a prospective intervention study

AU - Liedberg, Fredrik

AU - Gerdtham, Ulf

AU - Gralén, Katarina

AU - Gudjonsson, Sigurdur

AU - Jahnson, Staffan

AU - Johansson, Irene

AU - Hagberg, Oskar

AU - Larsson, Staffan

AU - Lind, Anna-Karin

AU - Löfgren, Annica

AU - Wanegård, Jenny

AU - Åberg, Hanna

AU - Nilbert, Mef

PY - 2016/9/27

Y1 - 2016/9/27

N2 - BACKGROUND: The delay between onset of macroscopic haematuria and diagnosis of bladder cancer is often long.METHODS: We evaluated timely diagnosis and health-care costs for patients with macroscopic haematuria given fast-track access to diagnostics. During a 15-month period, a telephone hotline for fast-track diagnostics was provided in nine Swedish municipalities for patients aged ⩾50 years with macroscopic haematuria. The control group comprised 101 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer in the same catchment area with macroscopic haematuria who underwent regular diagnostic process.RESULTS: In all 275 patients who called 'the Red Phone' hotline were investigated, and 47 of them (17%) were diagnosed with cancer and 36 of those had bladder cancer. Median time from patient-reported haematuria to diagnosis was 29 (interquartile range (IQR) 14-104) days and 50 (IQR 27-165) days in the intervention and the control group, respectively (P=0.03). The median health-care costs were lower in the intervention group (655 (IQR 655-655) EUR) than in the control group (767 (IQR 490-1096) EUR) (P=0.002).CONCLUSIONS: Direct access to urologic expertise and fast-track diagnostics is motivated for patients with macroscopic haematuria to reduce diagnostic intervals and lower health-care expenditures.

AB - BACKGROUND: The delay between onset of macroscopic haematuria and diagnosis of bladder cancer is often long.METHODS: We evaluated timely diagnosis and health-care costs for patients with macroscopic haematuria given fast-track access to diagnostics. During a 15-month period, a telephone hotline for fast-track diagnostics was provided in nine Swedish municipalities for patients aged ⩾50 years with macroscopic haematuria. The control group comprised 101 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer in the same catchment area with macroscopic haematuria who underwent regular diagnostic process.RESULTS: In all 275 patients who called 'the Red Phone' hotline were investigated, and 47 of them (17%) were diagnosed with cancer and 36 of those had bladder cancer. Median time from patient-reported haematuria to diagnosis was 29 (interquartile range (IQR) 14-104) days and 50 (IQR 27-165) days in the intervention and the control group, respectively (P=0.03). The median health-care costs were lower in the intervention group (655 (IQR 655-655) EUR) than in the control group (767 (IQR 490-1096) EUR) (P=0.002).CONCLUSIONS: Direct access to urologic expertise and fast-track diagnostics is motivated for patients with macroscopic haematuria to reduce diagnostic intervals and lower health-care expenditures.

U2 - 10.1038/bjc.2016.265

DO - 10.1038/bjc.2016.265

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27560554

SN - 0007-0920

VL - 115

SP - 770

EP - 775

JO - The British journal of cancer. Supplement

JF - The British journal of cancer. Supplement

IS - 7

ER -