BMJ  2005;330 (22 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7484.0-c

Patients with direct access fix fewer outpatient appointments

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis like having direct access to specialist care when they need it, and make 38% fewer appointments than patients whose doctors arrange routine appointments. Hewlett and colleagues (p 171) randomised 209 patients to direct access or regular routine appointments and, after six years, patients with direct access were clinically and psychologically at least as well as those without such access.

Credit: SHOUT/REX


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Patient initiated outpatient follow up in rheumatoid arthritis: six year randomised controlled trial
Sarah Hewlett, John Kirwan, Jon Pollock, Kathryn Mitchell, Maggie Hehir, Peter S Blair, David Memel, and Mark G Perry
BMJ 2005 330: 171. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ