Flexible cystoscopy: outpatients or domiciliary?

The cost of caring for people in the community with long-term indwelling catheters varies widely but represents a significant amount of NHS spending. A rapid access catheter clinic was established at a Bristol hospital, for people experiencing difficulties with their long-term catheters, to facilitate prompt assessment and treatment. Many patients were found to be severely disabled with mobility problems and relied on hospital transport to attend the clinic for flexible cystoscopy. As a consequence the concept of undertaking this procedure on a domiciliary basis was introduced with a view to cutting costs, improving time management and offering a more reliable service to patients. A prototype battery-powered flexible cystoscope was developed to facilitate this service and five visits were undertaken. Feedback from patients indicated a preference for the domiciliary service and cost benefits were identified. As a result of these initial experiences, we are now planning a pilot study to establish the feasibility and costs of providing a domiciliary service on a permanent basis and gather qualitative data from patients on quality-of-life issues.