Abstract

KRISHNA, A et al. Feasibility and impact of a one-stop thyroid clinic in a low- and middle-income country. S. Afr. j. surg. [online]. 2022, vol.60, n.3, pp.189-194. ISSN 2078-5151.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2078-5151/sajs3633.

BACKGROUND: The study was done to evaluate the feasibility, safety and outcomes of a one-stop thyroid clinic (OSTC) in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) setting METHODS: This was a prospective non-randomised case control study consisting of patients with thyroid nodules evaluated and managed at a tertiary referral centre in an LMIC between February 2019 and January 2020. Patients were divided into two groups based on the kind of preoperative evaluation protocol: OSTC group (n =118) - OSTC protocol, and control group (CG, n = 108) - routine protocol RESULTS: Baseline clinical characteristics of the two groups including median age (p = 0.13) and gender distribution (p = 0.76) were comparable. The majority of patients in both groups belonged to a low-income group (46.6% vs 47.3%; p = 0.91), followed by a middle-income group (35.6% vs 30.5%; p = 0.41). The median number of outpatient department visits (1 vs 3 days; p = < 0.001), waiting time for neck ultrasonography (1 vs 3 days; p = < 0.0001), fine needle aspiration cytology (1 vs 2 days; p = < 0.0001), and out of pocket expenditure (INR 3 965 vs 6 624; p = < 0.001) was significantly less in the OSTC group compared to the CG. Patients in the OSTC group reported better satisfaction levels (p = < 0.0001). Accuracy of diagnosis did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.14 CONCLUSION: OSTC practice is feasible, provides comparative clinical outcomes and seems cost effective in an LMIC. This protocol can be adopted as a routine practice in any health system

Keywords : one-stop thyroid clinic; low- and middle-income country; thyroid.

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