"Drop in" gastroscopy outpatient clinic--experience after 9 months.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Logistics handling referrals for gastroscopy may be more time consuming than the examination itself. For the patient, "drop in" gastroscopy may reduce uncertainty, inadequate therapy and time off work.

Methods

After an 8-9 month run-in period we asked patients, hospital staff and GPs to fill in a questionnaire to evaluate their experience with "drop in" gastroscopy and gastroscopy by appointment, respectively. The diagnostic gain was evaluated.

Results

112 patients had "drop in" gastroscopy and 101 gastroscopy by appointment. The number of "drop in" patients varied between 3 and 12 per day (mean 6.5). Mean time from first GP consultation to gastroscopy was 3.6 weeks in the "drop in" group and 14 weeks in the appointment group. The half-yearly number of outp

SUBMITTER: Huppertz-Hauss G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3293713 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature