Video, Telephone or Face-to-face Surgical Consultations: a Survey of Patients' and Surgeons' Views

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study will send out questionnaires to surgical outpatients and surgeons to gather their views on the appropriate type of surgical outpatient consultation in different clinical scenarios, in order to establish a guideline for surgical outpatient planning.

Detailed Description
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As above - this study will send out questionnaires to surgical outpatients and surgeons to gather their views on the appropriate type of surgical outpatient consultation in different clinical scenarios, in order to establish a guideline for surgical outpatient planning.

Official Title
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Video, Telephone or Face-to-face Surgical Consultations: a Survey of Patients' and Surgeons' Views

Conditions
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Surgery

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: questionnaire


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: PATIENTS Adults attending general surgical outpatients in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary during the study period presenting with: lumps and bumps hernias biliary problems jaundice abdominal pain/mass/weight loss gastro-oesophageal reflux dysphagia change in bowel habit anorectal problems thyroid nodules parathyroid disease adrenal masses SURGEONS Consultant General Surgeons in NHS Grampian / Tayside and Highlands Exclusion Criteria: PATIENTS lacking capacity without language skills to answer questionnaires or ability to understand questionnaires children < 16yrs (No upper age limit) patients presenting as emergencies patients unwilling to complete questionnaires. SURGEONS - trainee surgeons.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 16 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Patients<br>Attending surgical outpatients | Other: questionnaire<br>* Survey of views on outpatient consultation format<br>|
| Surgeons<br>Running surgical outpatients | Other: questionnaire<br>* Survey of views on outpatient consultation format<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| appropriate type of surgical outcome | What type of surgical outpatient consultation is appropriate for different clinical scenarios i.e. new patient, review patient, post-operative results, breaking bad news, cancer follow-up? This will be assessed by means of a Survey Monkey questionnaire sent out to surgeons in NHS Grampian / Highlands and Tayside and a different Survey Monkey questionnaire sent to patients attending surgical outpatients in NHS Grampian. | June 2021 | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Are there any new surgical patients that can be seen or assessed by video or telephone consultation? Do remote consultations improve efficiency? | Analysis of the results of patient and surgeons' questionnaires will be undertaken to establish whether there are any types of new surgical patients that need not be seen face to face prior to the day of operation. Analysis of results from patient and surgeons' surveys will be undertaken to establish which type of surgical consultation (video, telephone or remote) is most appropriate in different clinical circumstances and this will be fed back to surgical outpatient department to assess impact on outpatient administration. | June 2021 | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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outpatient consultation