Patient Satisfaction With the Head and Neck Cancer Telephone Triage Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background A telephone triage consultation, as part of the two-week wait head and neck cancer referral pathway, was implemented nationally in March 2020. This was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to stream cancer referrals to minimize unnecessary interactions and appointments with health services. The aim of this study is to assess patient satisfaction with this novel telephone triage system in the setting of a district general hospital.

Introducing paediatric grommet "rapid turnover" lists. A Quality Improvement Project.

Paediatric grommet insertions are a common ENT procedure which is typically carried out as a daycase procedure. National guidelines exist (NICE CG60) outlining the criteria for grommet insertions. At our institution it was noted that children were experiencing long waits for their grommet surgery with 78% breaching the national 18 week RTT target by time of surgery in the preceding 6 months.

The water penetration of different ventilation tubes.

The insertion of middle ear ventilation tubes remains one of the most common procedures for ENT surgeons. A common concern amongst patients undergoing such procedures is the effect on their ability to partake in swimming and other water sports. Currently there is little evidence comparing the penetration ability of different water solutions encountered by swimmers.

Which patients should be on renin-angiotensin system blockers after coronary surgery?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'which patients should be on renin-angiotensin system blockers after coronary surgery?' Using the reported search, 12 papers represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated.