A welcome link for patients who are waiting.

In our present health-care system, wait-lists are unfortunately all too familiar. They create distress for both patients and health-care providers. Two nurses from the breast cancer site team of the Capital Health Queen Elizabeth II Cancer Care Program in Halifax, Nova Scotia, responded by developing a program that links breast cancer patients who have undergone surgery and are waiting for outpatient consultation with either a radiation or a medical oncology team. This "link" is by early intervention telephone contact with a nurse who cares for this patient population. Evaluation of the pilot program indicated high patient satisfaction. The authors outline the challenges in maintaining the program, even though it has had a positive impact on those awaiting health services.