The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland guideline on the management of anal fissure.

AIM: The management of anal fissure: ACPGBI position statement was written 15 years ago. [KLR Cross et al., Colorectal Dis, 2008]. Our aim was to update the guideline and provide recommendations on the most effective treatment for patients with anal fissures utilising a multidisciplinary, rigorous guideline methodology. METHODS: The development process consisted of six phases. In phase 1 we defined the scope of the guideline. The patient population included patients with acute and chronic anal fissure. The target group was all practitioners (primary and secondary care) treating patients with fissures and, in addition, healthcare workers and patients who desired information regarding fissure management. In phase 2 we formed a guideline development group (GDG) including a methodologist. In phase 3 review questions were formulated, using a reversed PICO process, starting with possible recommendations based on the GDG's knowledge. In phase 4 a comprehensive literature search focused on existing systematic reviews addressing each review question, supplemented by more recent studies if appropriate. In phase 5 data were extracted from the included papers and checked by the GDG. If indicated, meta-analysis of systematic review data was updated by the GDG. During phase 6 the GDG members decided what recommendations could be made based on the evidence in the literature and strength of the recommendation was assessed using 'grade'. RESULTS: This guideline is divided into two sections: Primary care which includes (i) diagnosis; (ii) basic treatment; (iii) topical treatment; and secondary care which includes (iv) botulinum toxin therapy; (v) surgical intervention and (vi) special situations (including pregnancy and breast-feeding patients, children, receptive anal intercourse and low-pressure fissures). A total of 23 recommendations were formulated. A new term clinically healed was described by the GDG. CONCLUSION: This guideline provides an up-to-date evidence-based summary of the current knowledge of the management of anal fissure and may serve as a useful guide for clinicians as well as a potential reference for patients.

Revolutionising rapid recovery: a quality improvement project in hip and knee replacement.

With increasing bed pressures and an ageing population, there is a need to increase throughput and reduce the bed burden of joint replacements. These issues were recognised in North Devon and an enhanced recovery pathway was established. Enhanced recovery, which aims to optimise the patient journey and shorten the inpatient admission, was first adopted for hip and knee replacements in North Devon District hospital in 2011. The Rapid Recovery Group, comprised a multidisciplinary team involved in the perioperative patient pathway, formed in the third financial quarter of 2018/2019 (Q3). The group was tasked with the optimisation of the pathway for patients requiring hip and knee replacement from referral to 12 months postoperation. Representatives from the group visited a similar sized hospital with successful outcomes from their pathway in order to compare and then construct a new pathway based on observed practices. Multiple interventions were instigated, alongside continuous data collection, forming a combination of simultaneous and sequential Plan Do Study Act cycles. Interventions involved intraoperative local anaesthetic injection protocols, use of Taurus frames together with nurse-led mobilisation and trials of simplified drug charts. Information collected included type of surgery, length of stay, who mobilised patients and when. Mean length of stay in total hip and knee replacement has dropped from 3.6 to 2.4 days and 3.6 to 2.0 days respectively, comparing mean for the fiscal year 2018/2019 to 2019/2020, putting the hospital in the top 10 trusts in the country. With multiple changes occurring simultaneously, the impact of individual elements is difficult to isolate but the overall impact of the interventions is evident. A drastic improvement in the length of stay has been seen and the collaborative multidisciplinary approach has been pivotal to success.