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XAVIER SURÍS, DACIA CERDÀ, VERA ORTIZ-SANTAMARÍA, ANDRÉS PONCE, JOSÉ LUÍS SIMÓN, ELENA CALVO, MARIA JOSEP TORRAS, and GUILLERMO HOYO
ABSTRACT. Methods. From September 2003 to August 2004 a consultancy program was carried out by 4 consultant rheumatologists of the RU and 117 GPs, consisting of biweekly clinical sessions in which cases were commented upon prior to referral and local clinical guidelines on 10 musculoskeletal disorders were discussed. Referral rates to the RU, 5-item GP satisfaction questionnaires (patient accessibility to the RU, information obtained after the visit, GP accessibility to the RU, communication between levels, and resolution capacity of the RU), waiting times, and number of patients waiting for a visit were analyzed. These variables were compared before and after the intervention. Results. New referrals to the RU significantly diminished during the intervention year (1141 vs 1652 in the previous year, 5.5% patients referred vs 8.1% previous year; p < 0.0001). GP satisfaction improved significantly for all items (p < 0.0001). The waiting time for first non-urgent visit diminished from 7 months to 1 month (p < 0.01) during the intervention year, and the number of patients on the waiting list was reduced from 790 to 51 (p < 0.05). Conclusion. A consultancy program between rheumatologists of a RU and GPs of the same area showed improvement in GP satisfaction and reduced the number of referrals to the RU and the waiting times for new non-urgent visits. (First Release May 1 2007; J Rheumatol 2007;34:1328-31) Key Indexing Terms:
CONSULTANCY
From the Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Fundació Hospital/Asil de Granollers; Catalan Health Service (Catsalut) Centre Region; and Primary Care Service, SAP Granollers-Mollet del Vallès, Catalan Institute of Health, Catalonia, Spain. X. Surís, MD; D. Cerdà, MD; V. Ortiz-Santamaria, MD; A. Ponce, MD, Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine; J.L. Simón, MD, Medical Director, Fundació Hospital/Asil de Granollers; E. Calvo, Health Technician, Catalan Health Service (Catsalut), Centre Region; M.J. Torras, MD, Director, Primary Care Service, SAP Granollers-Mollet del Vallès, Catalan Institute of Health; G. Hoyo, MD, General Practitioner, Director, Sant Celoni Health Area, SAP Granollers-Mollet del Vallès, Catalan Institute of Health. Address reprint requests to Dr. X. Surís Armangué, Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Fundació Hospital/Asil de Granollers, c) Francesc Ribas SN, 08400 Granollers, Barcelona, Spain. E-mail: xsuris@fhag.es. Accepted for publication February 1, 2007. |
