International Journal of STD & AIDS > Volume 17, Number 4 > Pp. 230-233

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Original research articles

Survey of prioritizing/triaging of appointments in genitourinary medicine clinics in the UK: a British Co-operative Clinical Group survey

A B Alawattegama, S Rajamanoharan, R Maw, C A Carne and British Co-Operative Clinical Group of the British Association for Sexual Health HIV

Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospital Trust, Prescot Street, Liverpool L7 8XP, UK; Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Watford Sexual Health Centre, Watford General Hospital, Vicarage Road, Watford WD18 OHB, UK; Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast BT12 6BA, Northern Ireland; Department of Genitourinary Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK

A questionnaire was circulated to all lead genitourinary (GU) medicine physicians in the UK in November 2003 to obtain data on access, waiting times and triaging. Of the 143 responders, 92.3% departments had limited access to some or all GU medicine clinics. Where access was limited, 5.3% had no identifiable process in place to see urgent patients. The mean waiting times in clinics with an open appointment system only for a routine female and male appointment were 2.9 weeks and 2.8 weeks (range 2 days–10 weeks), respectively, and for an urgent appointment, two days (range same day–14 days), for both sexes. The survey has raised concerns that a number of departments did not consider as urgent for prioritizing, patients with documented untreated gonorrhoea, syphilis, or HIV, or contacts of patients with these conditions. This survey has highlighted a need for the national specialist society to provide guidance on prioritizing patients where access is limited.

Key Words: GENITOURINARY MEDICINE • WAITING TIMES • PATIENTS' ACCESS • TRIAGING • PRIORITIZING

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