A widely available biomarker (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is cost effective when combined with other simple risk information in prioritising patients waiting for coronary artery bypass grafting.
This explicit strategy of formally prioritising the waiting list was both cost effective and robust to alternative assumptions, including variation in the maximum waiting list times and uncertainty in the prognostic effect of biomarkers.
Prioritising the waiting list for coronary artery surgery 6 7 8 9 is an example of a common (and politically sensitive) clinical decision in which biomarkers might help select patients who will benefit from an earlier operation.
Production: MRI referrals received per day during the last week MRI examinations per day for each section: oncology, musculoskeletal, neuro, abdominal Referrals waiting to be booked Referrals waiting to be prioritised Waiting time for anaesthesia Examinations not reported within 24 h.
Six main topic areas were covered in the interviews: experience, initiation, opinion, prioritising, cost, and waiting time for referral to lifestyle and surgical weight-loss options and scenarios (Additional file 1).
* Not all PCOs answered all the questions We found that some priorities tended to be highly correlated; for example PCOs prioritising reduction in the number of outpatient referrals also tended to prioritise reduction in outpatient waiting times (r = 0.8).
MELD indicates the severity of hepatic cirrhosis and is used to prioritise patients on the waiting list for liver transplants.
Exposure to patients who are infectious can be minimised by adequate infection control measures including reducing the time of hospitalisation, reducing the number of outpatient visits, avoiding overcrowding in wards and waiting areas, and prioritising community-care approaches for TB management, where possible [ 66, 256– 256].
Referrals waiting to be prioritised.
The choice to prioritise preventive treatment over watchful waiting should be taken collectively by the general practitioner (GP) and the individual patient [ 17].
