| Improving the organization of consultation departments in university hospitals. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18070264 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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RATIONALE: Changes in the demography of doctors require changes in care practices. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with doctors' workload in the ophthalmology consultation department of a university hospital, with a view to developing methods to improve the organization of hospital outpatient clinics. METHODS: A 10-day cross-sectional survey was carried out in an ophthalmology outpatient clinic (in- and outpatient consultations, including emergencies) specializing in the uveitis care. Demographic and management data for each patient were collected on a structured form. The doctor's workload was assessed, using a scale taking into account the duration of the consultation and the number of diagnostic tests performed, as a function of management complexity. RESULTS: Of the 861 consultations studied, 39.7% were highly complex. The level of complexity of consultations was correlated with the type of referral (phi = 0.602), consultation duration (phi = 0.545), the number of consultations in the previous year (phi = 0.499), and the number of diagnostic tests performed (phi = 0.445). Consultations were longer and diagnostic tests were more frequently performed if patients had been referred by an ophthalmologist, consulted a faculty doctor or a fellow, or presented with uveitis. Consultations were also more complex for patients with at least four previous consultations in the past year. CONCLUSIONS: Type of referral, status of the attending doctor and number of consultations within the course of 1 year were associated with doctors' workload and could be taken into account to predict the duration of complexity of consultations when scheduling appointments. |
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Authors:
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Agnès Dechartres; Valérie Mazeau; Catherine Grenier-Sennelier; Antoine P Brézin; Gwenaelle M Vidal-Trecan |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of evaluation in clinical practice Volume: 13 ISSN: 1356-1294 ISO Abbreviation: J Eval Clin Pract Publication Date: 2007 Dec |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2007-12-11 Completed Date: 2008-02-05 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9609066 Medline TA: J Eval Clin Pract Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 930-4 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Service de Santé Publique, Groupe Hospitalier Cochin Saint Vincent de Paul (Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris), Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médécine, Paris, France. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adolescent Aged Appointments and Schedules Cataract / diagnosis Child Cross-Sectional Studies Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological Eye Diseases / diagnosis Female Hospital Departments / organization & administration* Hospitals, University / organization & administration* Humans Male Middle Aged Muscle Hypertonia / diagnosis Oculomotor Muscles / physiopathology Ophthalmology / organization & administration* Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / organization & administration Referral and Consultation / organization & administration* Refractive Errors / diagnosis Time Factors Uveitis / diagnosis Workload |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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