Procesos médicos susceptibles de alta resolución en consultas ambulatorias

Abstract

Objectives

The high resolution clinic (HRC) is an outpatient care process by which treatment and diagnosis are established, recorded, and completed in a single day. The aim of this study was to assess the extent to which patients with medical conditions may benefit from a single consultation system.

Material and methods

A descriptive study of 795 first visit events, randomly selected as high-resolution consultations in cardiology, gastroenterology, internal medicine, and chest diseases. A discussion is presented on the percentage of patients who benefited from HRC and the complementary tests performed.

Results

A total of 559 (70%, 95% CI: 67-73%) of all first visits became HRCs, and 483 (61%, 95% CI: 57%-64%) required a diagnostic test that was reviewed on the same day. There were differences between medical consultations (86% in cardiology versus 44% in gastroenterology consultations, P<.001). Performing a test on the same day significantly increased the percentage of HRCs (49 versus 22%, P<.001). Ischaemic heart disease, dyspepsia, headache, and asthma were the conditions most commonly leading to HRC. The most common tests were cranial tomography, blood analysis, and ultrasound.

Conclusions

Medical consultations may largely benefit from an HRC system, only requiring some organisational changes and no additional costs.