Reduction in waiting time for diagnosis and treatment of XXXX - a fast track study.

@entity1 @entity135 @entity5
Acceleration of diagnosis and initiation of treatment for @entity135 requires optimal organization and multidisciplinary collaboration. A project at the Head and Neck Oncology Centre, Aarhus University Hospital aimed at accelerating @entity1 flow. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Initiatives were implemented throughout the year 2007. Focus was on optimizing logistics for all @entity1 referred to the center with suspected @entity135 . Initiatives included a full-time case manager, pre-booked slots for clinical work-up and @entity5 . Key-dates were registered and relevant intervals were quantitatively evaluated and compared to a reference-group from 2006. RESULTS: We registered 446 @entity1 . Waiting times for first clinical examination on ENT department were reduced from median eight to median two days through 2007 (p < 0.0001). Time from first clinical examination and until referral for treatment was reduced from median 21 to median nine days (p < 0.0001). Time from referral to treatment and until initiation of treatment was reduced from median 26 to median 15 days (p < 0.001). The net result of these reductions was a reduced overall time from median 57 days ultimo 2006 to median 29 days ultimo 2007 (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The current project has shown that it is possible to reduce waiting times in @entity135 . Through logistic changes, employment of a full-time case manager, strengthening the multidisciplinary @entity5 board and giving higher priority for @entity135 @entity1 , the overall time from first suspicion of @entity5 until treatment start was reduced from 57 calendar days to 29 calendar days.
