Publications by authors named "Heather Pringle"
Background: Patients who attend emergency surgical services are entering an unfamiliar environment whilst often being unwell and in pain. Patient satisfaction in emergency surgical units is often low due to poor communication with attendees and long wait times.
Methods: A pilot patient questionnaire identified areas where patient satisfaction was low during attendance at the surgical assessment unit (SAU).
Article Synopsis
- The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (diagnosed in individuals under 50) is on the rise globally, with distinct clinical and molecular characteristics compared to late-onset cases.
- Factors contributing to this increase may include diet, obesity, antibiotic use, and changes in gut microbiome, with most cases occurring sporadically rather than being genetically inherited.
- There is a need for tailored preventive and therapeutic approaches for early-onset colorectal cancer, as younger patients often present with more severe disease stages but similar outcomes to older patients after treatment.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically influenced the delivery of healthcare. In line with the UK Royal Colleges' advice the management of acute appendicitis (AA) changed with greater consideration for non-operative management (NOM) or open appendicectomy when operative management (OM) was sought. We describe our experience of the presentation, management and outcomes for these patients to inform care for future viral pandemics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: The benefit to elderly patients (≥80 years old) of referral to the resource-intensive lower gastrointestinal 2-week wait (LGI-2WW) pathway is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the survival outcome of elderly patients referred to a LGI-2WW service.
Method: This study comprised a retrospective analysis of a prospectively gathered database of patients referred to a single-centre LGI-2WW service and conformed to STROBE guidelines.