Public patients waiting up to eight weeks for simple X-rays

ACCESSING radiology services is proving increasingly difficult for family doctors, forcing some public patients to wait up to eight weeks for a simple bone X-ray, a new study has found.

An examination of the Structure of General Practice in Ireland 1982-2005 shows access to radiology has declined by 6% for chest X-rays and by as much as 14% for skeletal X-rays.

Prof Tom O’Dowd, one of the study’s authors, said an “NTPF-type arrangement” may be necessary to treat the growing number of patients waiting for X-rays — where the National Treatment Purchase Fund would pay for the patient to go private if he/she was waiting an inordinately long length of time.

“In my own situation, patients, many of whom fear they may have a serious condition, have had to wait six to eight weeks for a simple X-ray of the bone.

“It is unfair to expect them to wait so long for diagnosis, and either re-assurance or a referral onwards. We seem to have spare capacity in the private sector so maybe we should look at buying these services.”

The analysis of general practice also found that family doctors are an ageing, increasingly female, cohort.

The predominant age is 35-60 and the number of women entering general practice has doubled since 1992.

Stress is better managed, however. Prof O’Dowd said the growing number of GP co-ops is a likely factor because they allow GPs greater control of the hours they work, compared to their hospital colleagues.

A surprise finding was that a large number of GPs wished to continue in practice after the age of 65, with appropriate safeguards such as peer review and competence assessment. Prof O’Dowd said this was probably because “by and large, GPs are not salaried and it is difficult to hand over your own business”.

The study, which will be presented next weekend at the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) AGM in Galway, also found:

* A fall in the numbers of private-only practices and a growth in the number of GPs with private lists of over 2,000 patients.

* A 28% increase in the number of family doctors since 1992.

* Women now constitute 30% of the GP workforce.

* A reduction in individual GPs providing out-of-hours cover during the week and at weekends, but 40% of GPs are now in out-of-hours co-operatives.

* 89% of GPs now practice from purpose built and adapted premises.