title: [One-stop outpatient cardiology clinics: 10 years' experience].
abstract: A one-stop outpatient cardiology clinic was set up at the Vic General Hospital in Spain in 1996. The aims were to provide patients with a rapid response, and to ensure that, on the same day, they saw a specialist and were referred for any relevant investigations required, primarily echocardiography, exercise testing, and Holter monitoring. We report experience from 10 years of follow-up, involving 19,515 consultations. The mean waiting time for a consultation was 3 days. We analyzed the reasons for the consultations, the investigations carried out, and the reductions in follow-up visits and hospital admissions. Primary care physicians' level of satisfaction was increased by this approach. The one-stop clinic proved feasible in clinical practice and proved robust during the follow-up period. This clinical model was beneficial for patients, was highly acceptable to primary care physicians, reduced the need for patients to contact the hospital, and, possibly, reduced hospital admissions.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Cardiología, Hospital General de Vic, Vic, Barcelona, España. 25364cfs@comb.es
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Falces
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sadurní
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monell
authors.forename: Rut
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andrea
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ylla
authors.forename: Angels
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moleiro
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cantillo
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002309:Cardiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors