Risk reduction using remote triaging for new referrals and follow ups
To break the chain of transmission, several healthcare jurisdictions are recommending reduced footfall in hospitals. Thus, structured telephone triaging can be used to separate low-risk from high-risk patients, with the latter cohort being seen sooner. Using one such risk calculator generated iteratively from over 10,000 patients in the UK, the risk of missing cancer in low-risk patients who do not undergo a face-to-face consultation is under 2%.34 Such patients can be reassessed at a later time when the acute pandemic associated issues are resolved. This approach has been supported by ENTUK, the British Association of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Similarly, it has been well recognized that the detection of recurrent cancers is low in the population of asymptomatic patients after treatment. These patients need support with functional problems. They should be offered remote consultation; only those with new symptoms should be offered face-to-face consultation for the duration of the pandemic.35