Biomaterial Database

Consultation time, workload, and problems for audit in outpatient clinics. 1992

J W Partridge

South Warwickshire Hospital.

Fifty four of 74 paediatricians in the West Midlands (43 general medical, 11 subspecialist) replied to a postal questionnaire about their outpatient practice: 37 timed each consultation in one clinic. On average, subspecialty consultations lasted 37 minutes for new patients and 29 minutes for review. In general clinics new patient consultations took 23 minutes, review 12. Mean 'single handed' general clinic size was 18, clinics with assistants 24; subspecialist clinics nine and 15. Four to five new patients and nine to 19 review patients were booked per clinic on average; 17/51 clinics used block booking, 34 provided individual appointment times. Mean referral delay was 4.9 weeks, mean clinic wait 22 minutes, and non-attendance averages 16-29%. Solutions are suggested to four main problems: non-attendance, referral delay, unpunctuality and disorganisation, with audit levels for paediatric outpatient activity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008485	Medical Audit	A detailed review and evaluation of selected clinical records by qualified professional personnel for evaluating quality of medical care.	Audit, Medical,Audits, Medical,Medical Audits
D010044	Outpatient Clinics, Hospital	Organized services in a hospital which provide medical care on an outpatient basis.	Ambulatory Care Facilities, Hospital,Hospital Outpatient Clinics,Clinic, Hospital Outpatient,Clinics, Hospital Outpatient,Hospital Outpatient Clinic,Outpatient Clinic, Hospital
D010349	Patient Compliance	Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen.	Client Adherence,Client Compliance,Non-Adherent Patient,Patient Adherence,Patient Cooperation,Patient Noncompliance,Patient Non-Adherence,Patient Non-Compliance,Patient Nonadherence,Therapeutic Compliance,Treatment Compliance,Adherence, Client,Adherence, Patient,Client Compliances,Compliance, Client,Compliance, Patient,Compliance, Therapeutic,Compliance, Treatment,Cooperation, Patient,Non Adherent Patient,Non-Adherence, Patient,Non-Adherent Patients,Non-Compliance, Patient,Nonadherence, Patient,Noncompliance, Patient,Patient Non Adherence,Patient Non Compliance,Patient, Non-Adherent,Therapeutic Compliances,Treatment Compliances
D010352	Patient Dropouts	Discontinuance of care received by patient(s) due to reasons other than full recovery from the disease.	Dropout, Patient,Dropouts, Patient,Patient Dropout
D010372	Pediatrics	A medical specialty concerned with maintaining health and providing medical care to children from birth to adolescence.
D012017	Referral and Consultation	The practice of sending a patient to another program or practitioner for services or advice which the referring source is not prepared to provide.	Consultation,Gatekeepers, Health Service,Hospital Referral,Second Opinion,Consultation and Referral,Health Service Gatekeepers,Hospital Referrals,Referral,Referral, Hospital,Referrals, Hospital,Consultations,Gatekeeper, Health Service,Health Service Gatekeeper,Opinion, Second,Opinions, Second,Referrals,Second Opinions
D004739	England	A part of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001071	Appointments and Schedules	The different methods of scheduling patient visits, appointment systems, individual or group appointments, waiting times, waiting lists for hospitals, walk-in clinics, etc.	Patient Appointments,Patient Schedules,Schedules, Patient,Appointments,Schedules,Appointment,Appointment, Patient,Appointments, Patient,Patient Appointment,Patient Schedule,Schedule,Schedule, Patient,Schedules and Appointments
D013997	Time Factors	Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations.	Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor