TY - JOUR T1 - Are muti-disciplinary teams helpful in managing respiratory referrals? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P617 AU - Sam Weaver AU - Vicky Campbell AU - Jo Riley AU - Toni Jordan AU - Martin Allen Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P617.abstract N2 - IntroductionRespiratory conditions, including COPD, are a common problem which generates many outpatient referrals from primary care to hospital. We have introduced a community respiratory team supported by consultants undertaking clinics in the community underpinned by a multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT). At the MDT all referrals from general practitioners are received on a specific proforma where spirometry, old clinical notes / letters and chest x-rays are reviewed. Patients are triaged into different care pathways from this weekly MDT. We have audited our output from this.Results Over a 3 year period 2011 to 2013, 1534 patients referred from one primary care trust serving a population of 193.000 patients were discussed. The outcomes from the MDT are tabulated below.View this table:Outcomes from MDT discussionConclusionOver a 3 year period there has been a consistent ability to ensure referrals are placed in the community setting with few patients who would have previously attended hospital now doing so (14%) This represents a considerable cost that may be saved by directing patients from hospital to a community clinic where there is on-going support of nurses, parking is easier and fulfils the desire for care closer to home. ER -