[Study on outpatient utilization of an ENT-clinic in a rural region: elective patients].

BACKGROUND

In Germany medical care of outpatients is mainly provided by general practitioners and medical specialists in private practice. The outpatient departments of hospitals are available for patients under defined circumstances, such as by referral from a specialist or for oncological diseases (§ 116b). The aim of this investigation was the evaluation of the elective outpatient cases.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The prospective study started in April 2013 and ended in March 2014. All elective outpatients were analyzed according to several items, such as personal and medical data, the reason, time and justification for presentation.

RESULTS

All in all 6463 elective patients were enrolled in this study. Children and the older patients were quantitatively more represented than the emergency patients. With respect to a defined score the majority of referrals were medically reasonable (87%), which correlated positively with the travelling distance to the patient's home.

DISCUSSION

This investigation emphasizes the usefulness of the German dual principle of specialist patient care that contributes to medically appropriate utilization of healthcare resources, which is not the case for emergency patients with a free choice of destination.