How to organize an outpatient clinic

According to the EH-UH study results, control of hypertension in Croatia is still far from optimal. Education of population and primary prevention should become the main stain in future.Given the demographic shifts and needs of cost rationalization, it is of high priority to organize health care on the basis of ambulatory outpatients models. The activity of this facility leads to a low rate of hospitalization as well as of cost reduction. Outpatient clinic of hypertension in the General Hospital Virovitica, Croatia is a new organizational form of the institution between clinic and hospital for the provision of diagnostic and therapeutic outpatients care of patients. It is a working team composed of cardiologists, nephrologists, nurses and patients. Basis of treatment is an education about hypertension, reducing daily salt intake and DASH diet provided by nurse who is very important member of working team in outpatient clinic. Active participation of patients, increasing the willingness and motivation to solve problems depends on quality of education. Patients contributions to treatments outcomes might be enhanced if medical care was oriented to consider patients as active participants in the treatment process, rather than as passive-obedient recipients of care. Findings indicate that patients adressed to the outpatients clinic of hypertension have their blood pressures under control and exhibit more positive cognitive and behavioral responses to illness-management. The outpatient clinic promises many educational opportunities including more complete observation of chronic diseases, closer relationships between doctors, nurses and patients, and more apropriate forum for teaching preventive medicine and psychosocial aspect of disease. This paper is an attempt to outline possible strategies that could implemented in view of the ever decreasing meager resources.