title: An audit of acute oncology services: patient experiences of admission procedures and staff utilisation of a new telephone triage system.
abstract: In 2010, St. James Institute of Oncology (Leeds, UK) created a new acute oncology service (AOS) consisting of a new admissions unit with a nurse-led telephone triage (TT) system. This audit cycle (March 2011 and June 2013) evaluated patient experiences of the reconfigured AOS and staff use of the TT system.
  
  
  
  Patient views were elicited via a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The TT forms were analysed descriptively evaluating completion and data quality, reported symptoms and their severity and advice given (including admission rates).
  
  
  
  Patients (n = 40) reported high satisfaction with the new AOS. However, 56 % of patients delayed 2 days or more before contacting the unit. In 2011, 26 % of all the admitted patients were triaged via the TT system; 133 TT forms were completed. In June 2013, 49 % of the admitted patients were triaged; 264 forms were completed. The most commonly reported symptoms on the TT forms were pain, pyrexia/rigors/infection, diarrhoea, vomiting and dyspnoea. Half of the patients using the TT system were admitted (52 % in 2011, 49 % in 2013).
  
  
  
  Our audit provided evidence of successful implementation of the TT system with the number of TT forms doubling from 2011 to 2013. The new AOS was endorsed by patients, with the majority satisfied with the care they received.
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK. l.warrington@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lorraine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Warrington
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holch
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Lucille
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kenyon
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Ceri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hector
authors.affiliation: St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Krystina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kozlowska
authors.affiliation: St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kenny
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.affiliation: Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Section of Patient Centred Outcomes Research, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF, UK.
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Velikova
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D054869:Clinical Audit / Q000379:methods*; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D014218:Triage; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acute admissions; Adverse events; Oncology; Supportive care; Telephone triage