Shared care for hearing complaints: guideline effects on patient flow.
OBJECTIVE
A national guideline was proposed to enable shared care in hearing complaints and therefore to change patient flows. In this study the effect of this guideline is evaluated.


METHODS
From a total of 3500 patients with hearing complaints, consulting the Ear Nose and Throat Department of a large non-university hospital in the Netherlands in 2002, a random sample of 1000 patients was selected. Patient flow was simulated according to guideline criteria with as main outcome measures: the effect of the guideline on patient flow.


RESULTS
Simulation of the consensus guideline did not really alter patient flow, with 89% to 97% of the patients still being referred to the Ear Nose and Throat specialist or Audiological Centre. Age, ear operations in the past and asymmetric hearing loss are the most important factors determining whether a person is labelled as a patient in need of medical care.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study emphasizes the importance of designing evidence-based guidelines for shared care.
Duijvestijn
Jan A
JA
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medisch Spectrum Twente Hospital Group, Enschede, The Netherlands. j.duijvestijn@mst.nl
Grutters
Janneke P C
JP
Chenault
Michelene N
MN
Joore
Manuela A
MA
Manni
Johannes J
JJ
Anteunis
Lucien J C
LJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult