PURPOSE: Urolithiasis is associated with pain and other health-related quality of life decrements.
Lack of access to multidisciplinary care is a barrier to prevention. We developed a shared medical appointment (SMA) to improve access as well as patient education and exposure to multidisciplinary care.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: 112 patients (51 ± 14 y, range 19-87) were seen in 27 SMAs over 14 months. Patients were seen using existing clinic space, staff, and providers. We targeted new patients for the SMAs. We incorporated presentations as well as multidisciplinary rounding in a group setting to provide care for the participants. Patients were surveyed to measure satisfaction as well as knowledge of key prevention concepts.
RESULTS: Appointment wait time decreased steadily from 180 ± 77 days prior to SMAs to 84 ± 39 days. The number of patients seen per month increased by 43%. The number of new clinic patients, which includes those seen both in SMAs and in individual appointments, who received nutrition education and intervention increased from approximately 50% prior to SMAs to nearly 75%. Patients who attended a SMA overwhelmingly (87%) rated their satisfaction as "excellent" or "very good;" 90% of patients said they would recommend this kind of visit to others. Post-tests revealed that patients in SMAs had superior knowledge ( P < 0.02) than controls.
CONCLUSIONS: SMAs can be an efficient way to evaluate and manage new patients for urolithiasis prevention. Patient satisfaction was high; knowledge about prevention was higher than that of patients seen in individual appointments.
Written by:
Jhagroo RA, Nakada SY, Penniston KL. Are you the author?
Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI; Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI.
Reference: J Urol. 2013 May 23. pii: S0022-5347(13)04377-2.
doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2013.05.037
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23707453
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