The waiting list guarantee and its violation. Characteristics of patients who have been waiting more than five months
Abyholm, G.; Riise, G.; Melsom, M.N.; Piene, H.; Gulbrandsen, I.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 117(3): 366-368
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 9064859 Document Number: 475803
In Norway as a whole, an average of six percent of all patients who had been guaranteed treatment within six months had not received treatment as promised. A survey of 917 orthopaedic "guarantee patients" who had waited longer than five months for treatment showed that 486 patients had waited longer than six months. 28% of the patients were suffering from hip or back problems, and the majority were suffering from problems in the extremities. In the case of 11% treatment was, in their own view, no longer relevant, and 2/3 were not interested in receiving treatment at another hospital, if this were to be offered. In the case of 33% of the patients the referring doctor thought it reasonable that the waiting time had exceeded six months.