[Control of patients in an outpatient clinic of rheumatology].
BACKGROUND
A high number of patients attending outpatient clinics of rheumatology are control cases. This study aimed at investigating the causes of such controls and how necessary they are.


METHODS
400 consecutive control patients selected from a local hospital were included.


RESULTS
Inflammatory rheumatic diseases constituted 89% of the controls; rheumatoid arthritis was the diagnosis in 28% of cases. Routine control of patients with chronic disease was the main cause of control (41%). 15% of controls were regarded as partly or completely unnecessary; 95% of these were not repeated.


CONCLUSIONS
The reasons for controlling patients in rheumatology should be better defined. Regular evaluation could result in improved service to outpatients.
Gran
Jan Tore
JT
Revmatologisk avdeling Institutt for klinisk medisin Universitetet i Tromsø 9037 Tromsø. jan.tore.gran@rikshospitalet.no
Soldal
Dag
D
Jore
Sigrid
S
Myklebust
Geirmund
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy