New barriers in oral cancer. Patient accessibility to dental examination--A pilot study.
Delay in the diagnosis of oral cancer has been classified as both 'patient delay' and 'professional delay'. A cross-sectional, descriptive study was designed (representative sample). Six hundred and sixty-nine telephone calls were made to private dental clinics distributed throughout Spain. The study was based on a telephone conversation with a simulated, standardized patient. The group 1 patient (with lingual ulceration) and the group 2 patient (seeking prosthodontic treatment), both following a prepared script. The average waiting time for group 1 was significantly shorter (p = 0.000) than for group 2 (3.3 days against 8.0) (Xi-Xj = 4.71;95% CI = -6.180,-3.243). When we compare the average waiting times for group 1 with the professional status, the delay was significantly shorter when the appointment was made by the dentist (p = 0.000). Dentists gave higher priority to patients with lingual ulceration over those who requested prosthetic treatment.
López-Jornet
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Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Murcia, Spain. majornet@um.es
Camacho-Alonso
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D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003756:Dental Hygienists; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017149:Private Sector / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011476:Prosthodontics; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014850:Waiting Lists