Duncan M, Beale K, Parry J, Miller R A
Department of Urology, Royal Northern Hospital, London.
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1988 Apr 30;296(6631):1247-8. doi: 10.1136/bmj.296.6631.1247.
The amount of time that one consultant urologist wasted on unnecessary administration while seeing outpatients was noted over six weeks. Searching for missing clinical data and the time spent on non-medical clerical tasks took up nearly half of the consultant's sessions. This seemed to be due to insufficient clerical and secretarial staff. Because low salaries are offered to such staff vast sums of money are being paid to agencies who are providing an appreciable number (40%) of the secretarial staff in our hospitals. Urgent action from the government is needed to remedy this and thus make substantial reductions in outpatient waiting lists nationally. It would greatly improve morale in this important sector of the health service without increasing total costs.
在六周的时间里，记录了一位泌尿外科顾问医生在接待门诊病人时在不必要的行政事务上浪费的时间。查找缺失的临床数据以及花费在非医疗文书工作上的时间几乎占了这位顾问医生门诊时间的一半。这似乎是由于文书和秘书人员不足所致。由于付给这类员工的薪水很低，因此要向提供相当数量（40%）医院秘书人员的机构支付巨额费用。政府需要采取紧急行动来纠正这种情况，从而在全国范围内大幅减少门诊候诊名单。这将极大地提高医疗服务这一重要部门的士气，而不会增加总成本。
