title: Survey of prioritizing/triaging of appointments in genitourinary medicine clinics in the UK: a British Co-operative Clinical Group survey.
abstract: A questionnaire was circulated to all lead genitourinary (GU) medicine physicians in the UK in November 2003 to obtain data on access, waiting times and triaging. Of the 143 responders, 92.3% departments had limited access to some or all GU medicine clinics. Where access was limited, 5.3% had no identifiable process in place to see urgent patients. The mean waiting times in clinics with an open appointment system only for a routine female and male appointment were 2.9 weeks and 2.8 weeks (range 2 days-10 weeks), respectively, and for an urgent appointment, two days (range same day-14 days), for both sexes. The survey has raised concerns that a number of departments did not consider as urgent for prioritizing, patients with documented untreated gonorrhoea, syphilis, or HIV, or contacts of patients with these conditions. This survey has highlighted a need for the national specialist society to provide guidance on prioritizing patients where access is limited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, Prescot Street, Liverpool L7 8XP, UK. anura.alawattegama@rlbuht.nhs.uk
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Alawattegama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajamanoharan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maw
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Carne
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006292:Health Priorities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014218:Triage; D014572:Urology / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D014850:Waiting Lists