AIM To identify the causes of childhood cataract in south India with emphasis on factors that might be potentially preventable. METHODS A total of 514 consecutive children with cataract attending an eye hospital outpatient clinic were examined and their parents interviewed by a trained interviewer using a standardised questionnaire in the local language. Serology was performed on children und...

UNLABELLED Background We performed a prospective audit of screening for asymptomatic sexually transmissible infections (STIs), during an intensive effort to screen all patients at our hospital-based HIV clinic. We aimed to measure the effectiveness and resource implications of our screening program. METHODS All outpatients who attended during an 8-month period were invited to take part in opt...

INTRODUCTION Physicians and health care providers play an important role in educating their patients about the health risks of tobacco use and in providing effective cessation interventions. Little is known about these practices in hospital outpatient settings. The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence, correlates, and trends of tobacco use screening and cessation assistance offer...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of undernutrition in hospital inpatients is high. Earlier detection and treatment in the hospital outpatient clinic may help to reduce these numbers. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition in hospital outpatients in the Netherlands, to determine high risk departments, and to determine the percentage of patients receiving dietetic treat...

PURPOSE Propylthiouracil is one of the thionamides used in the treatment of Graves' disease. The drug has serious side effects and long-term treatment might be needed to achieve remission. We designed this study to evaluate the clinical and thyroid Doppler characteristics that might predict time to remission and treatment failure in propylthiouracil treated Graves' patients. METHODS 26 patien...

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Complex and chronic disease is placing significant pressure on hospital outpatient departments. Novel ways of delivering care have been developed recently and are often described as 'triage' services. This paper reviews the literature pertaining to definitions and descriptions of orthopaedic/musculoskeletal triage processes, in order to provide information on 'bes...

OBJECTIVE To assess the change in level of diabetes quality management in primary care groups and outpatient clinics after feedback and tailored support. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This before-and-after study with a 1-year follow-up surveyed quality managers on six domains of quality management. Questionnaires measured organization of care, multidisciplinary teamwork, patient centeredness, p...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of Benzodiazepine use in the outpatient setting of general medicine clinics at a single tertiary care centre. METHODS The prospective prevalence study was conducted in the outpatient setting of Internal Medicine Clinics at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from November to December 2009. All subjects were interviewed after informed consent and variabl...

OBJECTIVES the aim of this study is to know the prevalence of sarcopenia in geriatric outpatient clinics using the EGWSOP (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People) diagnostic criteria that include muscle mass, muscle strength and physical performance. METHODS subjects over 69 years old, able to walk without help and who attended five geriatric outpatient clinics were recruited. B...

BACKGROUND Health care reform has expanded eligibility to public insurance without fully addressing concerns about access. We measured children's access to outpatient specialty care to identify disparities in providers' acceptance of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) versus private insurance. METHODS Between January and May 2010, research assistants called a stratifi...