Adaptation of a stoma care pathway and use of telephone clinics during the pandemic: patient experience survey

Abstract

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatient clinics had to adjust and reduce the number of face-to-face appointments. The Cambridge stoma service has a recognised pathway of stoma care but needed to adjust this in line with government guidelines. The team took the opportunity to audit the current pathway and complete a patient experience survey to determine the future of the service and potential adaptations to the pathway in the future. Aim: To determine the need for adaptation and improvement of the standard stoma clinics pathway. Method: A survey was conducted using a postal questionnaire to all patients who attended stoma clinics between April and June 2020. Findings: 160 questionnaires were sent and 72 responses returned (45%). All elements of the virtual clinic were rated positive by more than 80% of respondents, with nearly 90% of them feeling that all their stoma care needs were met. When asked to indicate their preferred consultation methods (patients were allowed to choose more than one), face to face received 50 votes, telephone 32 votes and video clinic 5 votes. Conclusion: There is a need to adapt the standard clinic pathway to be able to offer standardised care but with flexibility to adjust to circumstances and patients' preferences.