[Analysis of unofficial consultations in a tertiary-level hospital].

BACKGROUND Dermatologists are regularly consulted in their place of work by patients without an official appointment (individuals accompanying other patients, doctors from other specialties, hospital workers, etc). OBJECTIVES To describe the characteristics of consulting patients, reasons for consultation, severity of complaint, diagnostic and therapeutic approach taken, and level of care provided by the consulted professionals. RESULTS The typical patient would be a middle-aged female nurse consulting for the first time for a benign melanocytic lesion. In general, the dermatologist will take an empirical or informative therapeutic approach and consider the care provided to be similar to that offered to patients with an official appointment. CONCLUSIONS Unofficial appointments, although commonly for trivial complaints, represent an additional workload in daily clinical practice.