Nurse-led rapid access arrhythmia clinic

15^th Euro Nursing & Medicare Summit

October 17-19, 2016 Rome, Italy

Angela J Hall, Andrew Mitchell

Jersey General Hospital, UK

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

The Nurse-Led Rapid Access Arrhythmia Clinic is an innovative service which has revolutionised patient access to specialist support, enhanced management of patients with arrhythmias and dramatically reduced waiting times in the cardiology department. Service need was the most significant driver for the establishment of the clinic, which acts as a one stop shop and triage service for patients with arrhythmias. Improving patient access to arrhythmia services was an initial objective of the Arrhythmia Nurse Specialist. As experience has grown, patient assessment and intervention has enabled the arrhythmia nurse to work more autonomously in an advanced nurse practitioner position. As a qualified non-medical prescriber this also enhances complete care. At the start of the service, waiting times for a new cardiology appointment with the medical team was nine months. Appointments for the arrhythmia service are one to two weeks from referral and as a result, overall waiting times for cardiology appointments are six weeks. In 2014, 221 were seen and 263 in 2015. Routes of referral include the emergency department, in-patient departments, primary care and the cardiac team. The majority of patients are assessed and discharged back to primary care. Those who require further input are managed accordingly. An interdisciplinary approach encourages convenient access to the consultant cardiologist and cardiology team including nurse specialists and cardiac physiologists to expedite investigations. Patients, relatives and health professionals can access the service for advice. The successful implementation of the Rapid Access Arrhythmia Clinic has been down to motivation of a close working cardiology team and communication within primary and secondary care. Quarterly statistics and annual reports continue to demonstrate an efficient and effective service with patient satisfaction rated highly.

Biography :

Sister Angela Hall has predominantly worked in Cardiology and Critical Care having qualified as a nurse in 1999. Post-graduate qualifications exist in both areas, most recently a Masters module in Arrhythmia Management. Angela is half way through the Masters programme for Advanced Practice. The local arrhythmia service were runners up in the National Arrhythmia Awards in the United Kingdom in 2014. Local innovations have lead to invitations to speak at conference, quality service awards, senior managerial and medical committees and as part of a national group initiative to improve the management of patients with atrial fibrillation.

Email: An.Hall@health.gov.je