BACKGROUND: In 1998 'Dubdoc', Ireland's first out-of-hours general practice emergency service, opened in an outpatient suite in St James's Hospital with a separate entrance 300 m from the emergency department (ED). Dubdoc was established with the aim of providing an easy access out-of-hours service for ambulatory patients of those doctors supplying the service. AIM: To determine whether ED attendances for patients in the lower acuity triage categories 4 and 5 have changed since the establishment of 'Dubdoc'. METHODS: A retrospective review of all attendances at the 'Dubdoc' service was compared with attendances at the ED for triage categories 4 and 5 of the same hospital over a 9-year period (1999-2007 inclusive) for equivalent times of day. RESULTS: ED attendances during 'Dubdoc' hours have decreased as a proportion of all attendances for triage categories 4 and 5. ED attendances for triage categories 4 and 5 fell substantially during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Although the presence of the 'Dubdoc' service has resulted in a decrease in ED attendances for triage categories 4 and 5, this is a minor proportion of the overall decrease in attendances in this group of patients.
BACKGROUND: In 1998 'Dubdoc', Ireland's first out-of-hours general practice emergency service, opened in an outpatient suite in St James's Hospital with a separate entrance 300 m from the emergency department (ED). Dubdoc was established with the aim of providing an easy access out-of-hours service for ambulatory patients of those doctors supplying the service. AIM: To determine whether ED attendances for patients in the lower acuity triage categories 4 and 5 have changed since the establishment of 'Dubdoc'. METHODS: A retrospective review of all attendances at the 'Dubdoc' service was compared with attendances at the ED for triage categories 4 and 5 of the same hospital over a 9-year period (1999-2007 inclusive) for equivalent times of day. RESULTS: ED attendances during 'Dubdoc' hours have decreased as a proportion of all attendances for triage categories 4 and 5. ED attendances for triage categories 4 and 5 fell substantially during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Although the presence of the 'Dubdoc' service has resulted in a decrease in ED attendances for triage categories 4 and 5, this is a minor proportion of the overall decrease in attendances in this group of patients.
Authors: Wendy A M H Thijssen; Elske van Mierlo; Elske van Miero; Maartje Willekens; Jasper Rebel; Maro H Sandel; Paul Giesen; Michel Wensing Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-07-01 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Ken J Farion; Megan Wright; Roger Zemek; Gina Neto; Anna Karwowska; Sandra Tse; Sarah Reid; Mona Jabbour; Stephanie Poirier; Katherine A Moreau; Nicholas Barrowman Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-06-17 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Alison Cooper; Freya Davies; Michelle Edwards; Pippa Anderson; Andrew Carson-Stevens; Matthew W Cooke; Liam Donaldson; Jeremy Dale; Bridie Angela Evans; Peter D Hibbert; Thomas C Hughes; Alison Porter; Tim Rainer; Aloysius Siriwardena; Helen Snooks; Adrian Edwards Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2019-04-11 Impact factor: 2.692