Consultant supported intermediate care--a model for remote and island hospitals.

INTRODUCTION: Providing local consultant-delivered hospital services in remote and island communities in the United Kingdom is increasingly problematic due to difficulties with recruitment and retention of staff, statutory restrictions to hours worked by health professionals and the expectation each clinician must manage an externally defined volume of cases to maintain clinical standards. This article describes a before-and-after evaluation of a novel method of providing consultant support for acute internal medicine to an island grouping off the Scottish coast. Under the scheme, local GPs provided acute medical care of inpatients. A consultant general physician was appointed in a district general hospital on the mainland, approximately 100 miles from the island group, to provide a lead clinician role for inpatient services at the island hospital, visiting the island on a twice-monthly basis, undertaking educational sessions and developing local guidelines and care pathways for the management of individual medical conditions. In addition, two junior doctors were appointed to the island hospital to support inpatient care.

METHODS: A prospective recording system for case mix was established with agreed evidence-based protocols, developed as integrated care pathways (ICP), for indicator conditions. General case mix was determined during two 6-month periods, June-November 2001 and June-November 2002, before and after implementation of the new arrangements. Performance against an ICP for management of suspected cardiac chest pain was evaluated in detail, examining the process of management, clinical outcome and economics. Data from the clinical literature were used to estimate the potential health gains from observed changes in clinical practice.

RESULTS: Total admissions rose by 25% in the second time period, with particular increases noted for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular disease, and cancer. Total air ambulance transfers between the islands and the mainland within these time periods increased by 31%, from 88 to 115 transfers. Recording specific details from the history and frequency of appropriate blood investigations increased and initial steps in management changed considerably after introduction of the ICP. The number of transfers to the mainland teaching hospital increased from 3/37 (8%) in 2001 to 15/56 (27%) in 2002. Based on an estimated 100 patients per year, of whom 15 would receive thrombolysis, total additional patient costs would be 64,000 pounds sterling. The annual cost of the additional resource input into the medical service was 148,000 pounds sterling. Approximately 16 adverse events would be avoided at a combined cost of 212,000 pounds sterling (148,000 pounds sterling direct costs of intervention + 64,000 pounds sterling additional treatment costs) or 13,250 pounds sterling per event avoided. This is a conservative estimate of benefit as all the direct costs of the intervention have been included.

CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that appropriate standards of care can be delivered in the setting described. Costs of care increased, but the level of service provided increased concomitantly, and the health benefits were achieved at costs that compare favourably with other interventions recommended by health technology assessment groups. An estimate of notional costs involved in alternative models for the delivery of hospital medical services in a remote area suggests that costs would be similar for a three-consultant service, the present model, and a triage and transfer system. In the future, the models chosen by remote and island communities and healthcare providers are therefore likely to be determined by viability, sustainability and public acceptability rather than cost. Our study indicates that consultant supported intermediate care is a viable model.