PD791 - A DIETETIC SERVICE FOR THE SYSTEMIC ANTI-CANCER THERAPY UNIT: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

PD791

A DIETETIC SERVICE FOR THE SYSTEMIC ANTI-CANCER THERAPY UNIT: A QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

L. Ashmore^1,*

¹The Royal Marsden Hospital , London, United Kingdom

Rationale: Chemotherapy adversely affects nutritional status, necessitating early dietetic intervention. This project evaluated the impact of introducing a dietetic service on a systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) unit on waiting times and stakeholder satisfaction. 

Methods: Institutional approval was obtained to evaluate referral‑to‑assessment times for new oral nutrition support patients seen by a dietitian on the SACT unit, benchmarked against annual outpatient waiting‑time data. Dietetic time utilisation in the SACT clinic was compared with standard virtual outpatient clinics. Patient and nurse satisfaction was measured using online Likert scale questionnaires. 

Results: The SACT clinic reduced waiting times by a mean of 9.3 days (16.1 vs 25.4 days; range of 7-30 days). Since implementation of the service, outpatient waiting times for non-SACT clinic new oral nutrition support patients decreased by 9.1 days.

The patient questionnaire had a response rate of 28%. Patient feedback (n=9) was highly positive. Eight patients chose the SACT unit as their preferred setting for a dietetic consultation over standard face-to-face or virtual clinics. Eight patients responded either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ when asked if they felt comfortable receiving dietetic input on the unit and all responded ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ when asked if they felt listened to by the dietitian and empowered to implement the advice provided. Staff feedback (n=5) was similarly favourable, with most (n=4) agreeing the unit is an appropriate setting for dietetic consultations and that the clinic does not interfere with SACT delivery.

Operating the SACT clinic required more dietetic time compared to standard virtual clinics (78.6 vs 43.6 minutes). 

Conclusion: This new service improved access to dietetic care and was well received by patients and nurses; however, scalability is limited by dietetic workforce capacity. 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared