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Access to an outpatient cardiology consultation in southwestern Ontario
1The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. dmassel@lhsc.on.ca
Objective:
To determine whether there were differences in waiting time for a consultation for a nonurgent cardiology problem among specialists in an academic centre compared with those in community practice.
Design:
Cross-sectional telephone survey.
Setting:
Southwestern Ontario.
Participants:
Academically affiliated and community-based specialists in cardiology or internal medicine with an interest in cardiology.
Outcome Measure:
Waiting period in weeks for outpatient consultation.
Results:
Among community specialists, those with cardiology training had significantly longer waiting times than those without for nonurgent cardiology consultation (median 8.6 versus 3.8 weeks, P=0.0077). Waiting times for consultation were significantly longer for academic specialists than for those in community practice (median 9.1 versus 4.1 weeks, P=0.0013). Significantly longer waiting times exist in communities with a population greater than 100,000 (median 9.1 versus 4.0 weeks, P=0.0005).
Conclusions:
Waiting times for consultation for a nonurgent cardiology problem are long. Waiting times are longer for physicians with certification in cardiology, in the academic medical centre and in larger communities.
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