SHORT PAPER: NURSE MANAGEMENT OF "SAME DAY" CONSULTATIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH MINOR ILLNESSES. EXPERIENCES OF AN EXTENDED PROGRAM IN PRIMARY CARE IN CATALONIA

Nuria Fabrellas (1) , Angel Vidal (2) , Gemma Amat (2) , Yolanda Lejardi (2) , Maria del Puig Deulofeu (2) , Carme Buendia (2)

1 INSTITUT CATALA DE LA SALUT
2 ICS

Aims: This paper is a report of a study to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a program of nurse management for patients requesting same day consultation for minor illnesses in primary care. Background: The efficacy of such programs has been demonstrated in randomized studies but there is little information on these programs in highly-populated areas. Methods: Patients seeking same day consultation for one of 23 pre-selected minor illnesses(16 for adult, 7 for pediatric patients) from March-2009 to April-2010 were seen by trained nurses who followed predefined algorithms. If signs of alarm were detected, patients were referred to a general practitioner. Findings: A total of 629,568 consultations were performed, 575,189 in adults and 54,379 in pediatric patients. Case resolution was achieved in 61.8% of adult and 75.6% of pediatric patients. In adults, the highest resolution rates(>90%) were obtained for burns, skin injury, and emergency contraception, and the lowest for lower urinary symptoms(46.7%), sore throat(45.7%), pink eye (45.5%), and upper respiratory symptoms (41.4%). In pediatric patients, the highest resolution rates (>90%) were obtained for stomach cramps and burns and the lowest for cough (36.2%). Return to consultation during a 7-day period for the same reason as the first consultation was low, 4% for adults and 2.4% for pediatric patients. Conclusion: An extended program of nurse management for same day consultation of patients with minor illnesses showed an acceptably high rate of resolution and low rate of return to consultation. The application of such programs in extensive areas is feasible and effective.

Mots clés: Medicine

Nuria Fabrellas, Angel Vidal, Gemma Amat, Yolanda Lejardi, Maria del Puig Deulofeu, et al.. SHORT PAPER: NURSE MANAGEMENT OF "SAME DAY" CONSULTATIONS FOR PATIENTS WITH MINOR ILLNESSES. EXPERIENCES OF AN EXTENDED PROGRAM IN PRIMARY CARE IN CATALONIA. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2011, 67 (8), pp.1811. ⟨10.1111/j.1365-2648.2011.05624.x⟩. ⟨hal-00627155⟩