Pauliina Molander1, Airi Jussila2, Tanja Toivonen3, Pauliina Mäkkeli4, Antti Alho4, Kaija-Leena Kolho5. 1. a Department of Gastroenterology , Helsinki University Hospital , Vantaa , Finland. 2. b Department of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery , Tampere University Hospital , Tampere , Finland. 3. c Department of Gastroenterology and Alimentary Tract Surgery , Tampere University Hospital, Hatanpää Hospital , Tampere , Finland. 4. d Nordic Healthcare Group , Helsinki , Finland. 5. e Children and adolescents, Tampere University Hospital and University of Tampere , Tampere , Finland.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: A specialized inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) nurse is considered a valuable and cost-effective member of a multidisciplinary team, not all clinics responsible for IBD care employ such nurses. We evaluated IBD nurse resources, quality of care and cost effects on IBD patients care in a nationwide study in Finland. METHODS: A healthcare professional electronic survey was conducted in order to assess the impact of an IBD nurse on the quality of care. To study the cost effects, we obtained nationwide comprehensive data covering years between 2008 and 2016 from major administrative healthcare districts of Finland. Patients with a diagnosis of IBD (ICD-code K50 or K51) were identified from the data and their personal contacts and hospitalization were analyzed. The results were compared between healthcare districts with an IBD nurse and healthcare districts without an IBD nurse. RESULTS: Forty-nine physicians and 88 nurses responded to the survey. Of the physicians, 92% reported that an established IBD nurse had released physician's resources. The most important IBD nurse contributions listed were patient support and follow-up (79-81% of the respondents). Healthcare district, which had an established IBD nurse, produced more patient contacts. A larger proportion of the contacts was managed by the IBD nurse. Clinics with an IBD nurse reported less patient hospitalization (4-9% vs 11-19%, p < .001). Estimated annual cost savings while employing an IBD nurse may be significant. CONCLUSION: The introduction of an IBD nurse led to better quality of care and potentially significant cost savings by reducing hospitalization rates and reallocating physician's time resources.
INTRODUCTION: A specialized inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) nurse is considered a valuable and cost-effective member of a multidisciplinary team, not all clinics responsible for IBD care employ such nurses. We evaluated IBD nurse resources, quality of care and cost effects on IBD patients care in a nationwide study in Finland. METHODS: A healthcare professional electronic survey was conducted in order to assess the impact of an IBD nurse on the quality of care. To study the cost effects, we obtained nationwide comprehensive data covering years between 2008 and 2016 from major administrative healthcare districts of Finland. Patients with a diagnosis of IBD (ICD-code K50 or K51) were identified from the data and their personal contacts and hospitalization were analyzed. The results were compared between healthcare districts with an IBD nurse and healthcare districts without an IBD nurse. RESULTS: Forty-nine physicians and 88 nurses responded to the survey. Of the physicians, 92% reported that an established IBD nurse had released physician's resources. The most important IBD nurse contributions listed were patient support and follow-up (79-81% of the respondents). Healthcare district, which had an established IBD nurse, produced more patient contacts. A larger proportion of the contacts was managed by the IBD nurse. Clinics with an IBD nurse reported less patient hospitalization (4-9% vs 11-19%, p < .001). Estimated annual cost savings while employing an IBD nurse may be significant. CONCLUSION: The introduction of an IBD nurse led to better quality of care and potentially significant cost savings by reducing hospitalization rates and reallocating physician's time resources.
Authors: Christopher Ma; Matthew K Smith; Leonardo Guizzetti; Remo Panaccione; Gilaad G Kaplan; Kerri L Novak; Cathy Lu; Reena Khanna; Brian G Feagan; Siddharth Singh; Vipul Jairath; Ashwin N Ananthakrishnan Journal: Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol Date: 2020-01-25 Impact factor: 11.382
Authors: G Pellino; D S Keller; G M Sampietro; V Annese; M Carvello; V Celentano; C Coco; F Colombo; N Cracco; F Di Candido; M Franceschi; S Laureti; G Mattioli; L Pio; G Sciaudone; G Sica; V Villanacci; R Zinicola; S Leone; S Danese; A Spinelli; G Delaini; F Selvaggi Journal: Tech Coloproctol Date: 2020-01-25 Impact factor: 3.781