Table 2.
Hospital care pathways for acute severe ulcerative colitis
| COVID-19 pandemic period cohort (n=398) | Historical control cohort (n=384) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient initially managed on an ambulatory pathway* for intravenous steroids | 51/385 (13%) | 19/360 (5%) | 0·00023 | |
| Attended accident and emergency department with acute severe ulcerative colitis | 295/394 (75%) | 322/381 (85%) | 0·00095 | |
| Ward patient first managed when diagnosed with acute severe ulcerative colitis | .. | .. | 0·42† | |
| Dedicated gastrointestinal ward | 200/380 (53%) | 212/378 (56%) | .. | |
| Non-gastrointestinal ward | 148/380 (39%) | 166/378 (44%) | .. | |
| Gastrointestinal ward converted to general medicine during COVID-19 period | 32/380 (8%) | .. | .. | |
| Reviewed by consultant gastroenterologist within 24 h of admission to hospital | 314/389 (81%) | 287/372 (77%) | 0·25 | |
| Clinician responsible for patient after first 24 h | .. | .. | 0·35‡ | |
| IBD specialist | 238/390 (61%) | 216/376 (57%) | .. | |
| Non-IBD gastroenterologist | 94/390 (24%) | 94/376 (25%) | .. | |
| Non-gastroenterology physician | 41/390 (11%) | 54/376 (14%) | .. | |
| Colorectal surgeon | 15/390 (4%) | 9/376 (2%) | .. | |
| Other general surgeon | 2/390 (1%) | 3/376 (1%) | .. | |
| Patient discussed at IBD multidisciplinary team meeting | 150/393 (38%) | 140/366 (38%) | 1·0 | |
Data are n/N (%). IBD=inflammatory bowel disease.
*
Daily outpatient visits for intravenous steroids instead of admission to hospital.
†
p value for comparison of gastrointestinal versus non-gastrointestinal ward.
‡
p value for Fisher's exact test comparison of clinician responsible for patient after first 24 h in hospital.