ACCESS TO A GENITOURINARY MEDICINE CLINIC IN A DISTRICT GENERAL HOSPITAL IN THE UK.

Background: Genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic, Royal Bolton Hospital, has appointment system and walk-in patients, GP and other clinic referrals are "fitted" into already full GUM clinic sessions after being triaged in the nurse led triage clinic. One consultant, a specialist registrar and two clinical assistants staff the clinic. Objectives: To assess the waiting time taken for a patient to be seen in GUM clinic having contacted the triage clinic. Methods: Retrospective case note study of 71 male and female patients contacted triage clinic in the GUM department, Royal Bolton Hospital during the 4 week study period in February 2002. Results: Total of 71 patients contacted the triage clinic included 48 self referrals, 11 GP referrals, 7 gynaecology clinic referrals, and 5 other clinic referrals. Out of 71 patients 44 (62%) had acute symptoms or pre-diagnosed chlamydia, 19 (27%) were contacts of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and 8 (11%) had no acute symptoms. 32/44 (73%) with acute symptoms were seen within 48 hours. 6/19 (32%) contacts of STI seen within 48 hours. Conclusions: All clinicians will agree that patients with acute symptoms and pre-diagnosed chlamydia should be seen within 48 hours. But this is not the reality for 27% of patients with acute symptoms. Contacts of STI also should ideally be seen equally promptly and this not the case for the majority (68%).We believe that further study will be needed to assess the GUM clinic access across the UK and that this situation can be improved by proper resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]