Early outcomes following the implementation of a specialised pleural disease service

• Published in: Internal medicine journal 2023-12, Vol.53 (12), p.2270-2276
• Main Authors: Duong, Victor, Tacey, Mark, Shum, Evonne, Hannan, Liam, See, Katharine, Muruganandan, Sanjeevan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Comorbidity; interventional; Morbidity; Mortality; patient safety; Pleural effusion; Pleural fluid; quality improvement; thoracentesis; Ultrasonic imaging; ultrasonography; Ultrasound
• ISSN: 1444-0903; 1445-5994
• DOI: 10.1111/imj.16077

Background Pleural effusion is a common cause of hospitalisation and a poor prognostic marker that is associated with morbidity and mortality. The evaluation and management of pleural effusion may be performed more effectively by a specialised pleural disease service (SPDS). Aims To evaluate the impact of a SPDS established in 2017 at a 400‐bed metropolitan hospital in Victoria, Australia. Methods A retrospective observational study was undertaken comparing outcomes of individuals with pleural effusions. People with pleural effusion were identified using administrative data. Two 12‐month time periods were compared, 2016 (Period 1, before SPDS) and 2018 (Period 2, after SPDS). Results Period 1 had n = 76 and Period 2 had n = 96 individuals with pleural effusion receiving intervention. Age (69.8 ± 17.6 vs 71.8 ± 15.8), gender and Charlson Comorbidity Index (4.9 ± 2.8 vs 5.4 ± 3.0) were similar across both periods. Utilisation of point‐of‐care ultrasound for pleural procedures increased from Period 1 to 2, 57.3–85.7% (P