title: Patient compliance with a group model of care: the hernia clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In February 2006, a hernia clinic was established at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was based on a group model of care and was established to increase effective use of resources to reduce waiting times. We conducted a survey of patients referred to the hernia clinic to determine compliance.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed and mailed a questionnaire to all patients who had surgery after assessment at the hernia clinic. Data were analyzed for the entire study group and for 2 subgroups: patients in group I had the same surgeon for assessment and surgery, whereas patients in group II had a different surgeon for assessment and surgery. Differences between subgroups were assessed using the 2-tailed Fisher exact test. Waiting times were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 94 patients responded to the survey. Of these, 67% had the same surgeon for assessment and surgery, and 31% had a different surgeon; 2% were not sure. Two-thirds were comfortable having their surgery performed by a surgeon whom they met the day of surgery. Most patients had confidence in the competence of any surgeon and considered service to be better and faster in a specialized centre. Most felt that a group of surgeons providing hernia care uses resources more effectively. The waiting times from referral to initial consult decreased from 208 (standard deviation [SD] 139) days in 2007 to 59 (SD 70) days in 2009.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient compliance with a group model of care for hernia surgery is high.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Slotervaartziekenhuis, Louwesweg 6, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. baukjevdh@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Baukje
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van den Heuvel
authors.forename: Brock
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vair
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Klassen
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.forename: H Jaap
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bonjer
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006547:Hernia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D059685:Herniorrhaphy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017146:Models, Organizational; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009674:Nova Scotia; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000458:organization & administration; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014850:Waiting Lists