[The waiting list guarantee and its violation. Characteristics of patients who have been waiting more than five months].

In Norway as a whole, an average of six percent of all patients who had been guaranteed treatment within six months had not received treatment as promised. A survey of 917 orthopaedic "guarantee patients" who had waited longer than five months for treatment showed that 486 patients had waited longer than six months. 28% of the patients were suffering from hip or back problems, and the majority were suffering from problems in the extremities. In the case of 11% treatment was, in their own view, no longer relevant, and 2/3 were not interested in receiving treatment at another hospital, if this were to be offered. In the case of 33% of the patients the referring doctor thought it reasonable that the waiting time had exceeded six months.