Multidisciplinary first-day consultation accelerates diagnostic procedures and throughput times of patients in a head-and-neck cancer care pathway, a mixed method study

Table 3 Throughput times and hospital visits, pre- and post-MFDC

	Pre	Post			Significance
	2007 (n = 21)	2008 (n = 20)	2010 (n = 24)	2013 (n = 24)	p ANOVA	pair wise comparison
Throughput time (days)
	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)	Mean (SD)
Access first consultation	6.0 (7.5*)	5.9 (3.9)	4.9 (3.5)	7.7 (8.0)	.592	–
Diagnostic procedures	20.6 (10.6)	11.4 (7.4)	8.7 (5.6)	13.0 (8.0)	<.000	2007–2008: .013; 2007–2010: .000; 2007–2013: .049
Start first treatment	32.6 (13.8)	22.2 (9.2*)	23.7 (8.4)	29.3 (11.3)	.009	2007–2008: .038
Number hospital visits
Diagnostic procedures	3.0 (1.7)	2.2 (0.7*)	1.7 (0.7)	3.0 (1.3)	<.000	2007–2010: .014; 2008–2013: .049; 2010–2013: .001
Diagnosis to start Treatment	2.1 (1.5)	1.4 (0.9*)	2.4 (1.9)	3.1 (2.2)	.032	2008–2013: .012
Total	5.1 (1.7)	3.6 (1.0*)	4.1 (2.1)	6.0 (2.3)	<.000	2007–2008: .006; 2008–2013: .000; 2010–2013: .021
Start treatment within 30 days	52%	83%	71%	54%	.132	2007–2008: .040

Legend Table 3. Access first consultation; throughput time from ‘date of the letter of referral’ to ‘intake in oncology front office’, diagnostic procedures; throughput time from ‘first consultation’ to ‘decision in multidisciplinary meeting of the head & neck cancer centre’, start first treatment; ‘throughput time form first consultation’ to ‘start first primary treatment’. Hospital visits are measured during the diagnostic procedures, and from diagnosis to start treatment, and in total
*= number of patients is 19, because one patient was treated elsewhere after receiving the diagnostic plan

ISSN: 1472-6963