BACKGROUND Several studies have shown that outpatient preoperative evaluation by anaesthetists increases quality of care and is cost-effective. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the factors that positively or negatively influence the implementation of outpatient preoperative evaluation clinics (OPE clinics). METHODS After an extensive literature study and pilot interviews, we con...

BACKGROUND Violence against women and threat of violence are some of the main barriers to women's empowerment and equal participation in the society. However, they often go unnoticed and undocumented and therefore unresolved. For women, one of every five years of healthy life lost because of injury, disease, or premature death is attributable to violence. The aim of this study was to identify t...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether video consultations in the home can support a viable alternative to visits to the hospital outpatient clinic for patients with diabetic foot ulcers. And furthermore whether patients, relatives, visiting nurses, and experts at the hospital will experience satisfaction and increased confidence with this new course of treatment. Participatory design...

BACKGROUND About 19 million people in the United States are limited in English proficiency, but little is known about the frequency and potential clinical consequences of errors in medical interpretation. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency, categories, and potential clinical consequences of errors in medical interpretation. METHODS During a 7-month period, we audiotaped and transcribed p...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of spontaneous abortion in a population of women in order to establish their risk of spontaneous abortion and the obstetric factors predisposing to it. DESIGN Prospective study of women recruited by radio and poster appeal and from hospital outpatient clinics. SETTING English provincial community. PATIENTS 630 Women from the general population intend...

PURPOSE To demonstrate the feasibility of the BRIGHTEN Program (Bridging Resources of an Interdisciplinary Geriatric Health Team via Electronic Networking), an interdisciplinary team intervention for assessing and treating older adults for depression in outpatient primary and specialty medical clinics. The BRIGHTEN team collaborates "virtually" to review patient assessment results, develop a tr...

BACKGROUND The expansion of outpatient services and the desire to provide more outpatient care than inpatient care create some problems such as the overcrowding in the outpatient clinics. Given the importance of overcrowding in the outpatient clinics, this qualitative study aimed to determine the factors influencing the overcrowding in the specialty and subspecialty clinic of a teaching hospita...