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Table 2 Advantages/disadvantages of telephone advice and triage by GP and of co-location

From: Co-location of out of hours primary care and emergency department in Belgium: patients’ and physicians’ view

 

Telephone advice by GP

 

Advantage

n(%)

Disadvantage

n(%)

Time to care

 

Wrong clinical assessment

 

 Fast service

108 (26,7)

No physical examination

123 (30,4)

 24/7 available

8 (2,0)

No patient history

35 (8,7)

Telephone contact with physician

 

Limited anamnesis

50 (12,4)

 Reassurance

74 (18,3)

Barriers in anamnesis due to language/understanding

4 (1,0)

 Advice

52 (12,9)

Not specified

18 (4,5)

 Assessment by physician

12 (3,0)

  

Practical advantages

 

Not reassured

25 (6,2)

 No extra transfer

83 (20,5)

Long waiting time

11 (2,7)

 Cost saving

17 (4,2)

No prescriptions

10 (2,5)

 Reduce workload for ED and GP

2 (0,5)

High responsibility

1 (0,2)

Other

7 (1,7)

Other

8 (2,0)

No advantage

13 (3,2)

No disadvantage

7 (1,7)

Blank

118 (29,2)

Blank

158 (39,1)

 

Co-location

Options

n(%)

Advantages

n(%)

Disadvantages

n(%)

Fully agree

90 (22,3)

Fast service

104 (25,7)

Further from home

19 (4,7)

Agree

244 (60,4)

No extra transfer

103 (25,5)

Parking/transport

3 (0,7)

Disagree

31 (7,7)

Correct referral

54 (13,4)

Longer waiting time

Other

19 (4,7)

41 (10,2)

Fully disagree

6 (1,5)

Multi-disciplinary

29 (7,2)

Blank

33 (8,2)

Well equipped setting

18 (4,5)

  

Telephone registration on co-location n (%)

Options

Physician at telephone

Telephone advice

Operator assessment

GP assessment

Fully agree

100 (25,1)

159 (39,4)

47 (11,6)

101 (25,0)

Agree

137 (34,3)

208 (51,5)

187 (46,3)

226 (55,9)

Disagree

127 (31,8)

22 (5,4)

133 (32,9)

61 (15,1)

Fully disagree

35 (8,8)

11 (2,7)

32 (7,9)

10 (2,5)

Blank

5 (1,3)

4 (1,0)

5 (1,3)

6 (1,5)

Triage on co-location n (%)

Options

Correct referral operator

Ignore referral operator

No own initiative visit GP

No own initiative visit ED

No free choice

Adequate referral

Fully agree

83 (20,5)

16 (4,0)

57 (14,1)

86 (21,3)

55 (13,6)

167 (41,3)

Agree

266 (65,8)

90 (22,3)

189 (46,8)

203 (50,2)

210 (52,0)

164 (40,6)

Disagree

36 (8,9)

213 (52,7)

113 (28,0)

72 (17,8)

93 (23,0)

94 (23,3)

Fully disagree

13 (3,2)

71 (17,6)

33 (8,2)

24 (5,9)

26 (6,4)

20 (5,0)

Blank

6 (1,5)

14 (3,5)

12 (3,0)

19 (4,7)

20 (5,0)

167 (41,3)