A 'one-stop' vascular clinic: Initial experience of an out-patient immediate-access radioisotope limb blood flow service

The availability of an 'immediate-access' nuclear medicine service has faci litated the introduction of a 'one-stop' vascular clinic, enabling radioiso tope limb blood flow and Doppler ankle:brachial index tests to be performed within 2 h of each other for new patient referrals. The test results are a vailable to assist clinical management decisions during the same clinical s ession. A patient satisfaction survey was undertaken in 71 patients to asse ss their perspective of this service provision. Fifty-one (72%) patients re turned the questionnaire. All respondents preferred to have attended the 'o ne-stop' clinic to having to return for investigations on a separate occasi on. The patient satisfaction survey has identified patient perceived advant ages of improved diagnostic efficiency, reduced number of visits, reduced p atient worry and the minimization of patient travel costs. During the study period, 83% of allocated gamma-camera imaging slots were utilized, demonst rating that immediate-access nuclear medicine service provision linked to s pecific clinics can be a practicable solution to reducing waiting times for investigative tests. This is believed to be the first reported immediate-a ccess nuclear medicine service, as opposed to the emergency investigations normally offered to clinically urgent requests. ((C) 1999 Lippincott Willia ms & Wilkins).