Resource implications of outpatient referrals to a general urological service

The effects of new outpatient referrals on the dynamics of global provision in a surgical service has not previously been defined. Because of managerial pressure to reduce the time interval between general practitioner referral and first specialist assessment, many services are now faced with additional outpatient loads without any clear idea of the effect that this additional burden will have on overall practice. In an attempt to define the logistic implications of a new outpatient load, 293 patients, referred from primary care to a general urological service, were followed for a further two interactions with the secondary care team. 'One-stop' visits with in-clinic investigation and an active discharge policy were employed to assist with efficient patient management. Of the original patients, 28% required investigations not available in the clinic, with cost and logistic implications for support services. In all, 32% of the patients needed further follow-up appointments, despite the active discharge policy. This necessitated 95 people being seen in additional clinic time. Of the patients referred, 37% needed inpatient treatment; 46% being day case procedures, the remainder constituting a variable case mix. This work necessitated 7.1 operating sessions and an additional 75 inpatient bed days for every 100 new patients referred. A model for determining the resource requirements for a surgical outpatient load is proposed.