LAUSR

Renal or ureteric colic secondary to urinary stones is common, with an annual incidence of 1–2 cases per 1000 people. It also has a high recurrence rate ranging from 50% to 80%. Most of these patients presenting to the A&E are initially managed by the general surgery on-call juniors and then subsequently referred to urology. NICE guidelines (NG118) recommend urgent low-dose non-contrast CT of the urinary tract for adults with suspected renal colic and ultrasound scans instead of CT if a woman is pregnant. It also recommends measuring serum calcium for adults as a part of the metabolic assessment. The audit aimed to evaluate the local practice compared to the NICE guidelines. A retrospective review of 101 non-pregnant adult patients presenting to the A&E or surgical assessment unit with suspected renal or ureteric colic was conducted (58 patients for cycle 1, 43 patients for cycle 2). Patients were consecutively recruited from the general surgery on-call list (Cycle 1: March-May 2024) (Cycle 2: October - December 2024). Verbal demonstration, email reminders, and added notes to the handover sheet were completed before the completion of cycle 2. 100% of CT of urinary tract was performed within 24 hours of presentation in both cycles. Serum calcium was measured in 21% and 72% of patients in Cycle 1 and 2, respectively. All patients had a CT of urinary tract performed within the timeframe recommended by NICE Guidelines. There has been a significant improvement in the measurements for calcium.