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Biomedical subjects

Dag Bratlid

Publications and source records attributed to Dag Bratlid.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

[Nurses on strike, waiting lists and waiting time at a regional hospital].

BACKGROUND: From 22 January to 6 March 2002, Norwegian hospitals were struck by the longest strike among nurses ever. The strike strategy was aimed at creating the least possible effect on patient treatment by mainly including nurses in administrative positions and in outpatient departments. However, several reports of increasing numbers of patients in line for treatment and of operations cancelled caused the minister of health to finally order the nurses back to work. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To get a more comprehensive view on the effect of the strike, patients in line for treatment at St. Olavs Hospital, a large regional university hospital, were analysed for the months January and February. RESULTS: Surprisingly, no major negative effects on the volume of treated patients and on the number of patients waiting for treatment were found. In fact, the total number of patients in line for treatment as well as the number of patients waiting more than 12 months were reduced during the strike. The mean waiting time for treatment was also reduced. INTERPRETATION: A limited strike may improve the selection of patients with high priority. Furthermore, the yearly summer vacation in hospitals, that also includes doctors, probably represents a larger health threat to patients than a limited and well planned strike among one single health profession.

Hospital Departments↗
PubMed2002

[Patient referral and patient volume in a regional hospital].

BACKGROUND: A general trend in health care is the increasing discrepancy between resources available and the volume of patients treated. Few studies have looked at a reduction in patient referral as a possible explanation for this situation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The volume of hospital admissions and outpatient care 1996 through 2000 at a large regional hospital was related to the number of referrals over the same period. RESULTS: There was an overall increase in patient admissions as well as in outpatient care during the study period. However, while the number of new referrals seen as outpatients dropped by 1.2%, the number of patients in for controls increased by 27.1%. While some departments had an increase in both admissions and new outpatients, other departments had a dramatic decrease in new patient contacts but total patient volume was maintained by a comparable increase in control consultations. At the same time, there was a 15.1% overall drop in new patient referrals (new referrals for admissions down 44.4%, new referrals for outpatient care down 11.4%), in some departments even more. INTERPRETATION: The study shows that patient demand for hospital care is not unlimited and should also be considered when more resources allocated to hospitals do not result in increased patient volume.

Bed Occupancy↗