In addition, it provides a unique insight into the experience of a highly specialised tertiary centre SSMDT, through which individual cases are discussed and patients are appropriately referred on for further evaluation with FDG PET-CT.
Of concern, indigenous people were less likely to be referred on for further evaluation of their eating problems.
This study recruited patients completing physiotherapy care rather than those unable to complete care and subsequently referred on for further opinion, such as from a surgeon.
Of the 17 patients excluded from the trial, 3 refused the trial and the team and so received no team care, 1 patient was assessed but did not have MS, 12 received between one and three visits leading to assessment that problems were improved and then the patient was discharged and one patient was cared for and referred on for long-term community palliative care.
Just 73% of emergency department patients were referred on for treatment, admitted to hospital, or discharged within four hours or less, representing no improvement from the previous year and short of the target of 90%.
They were then referred on for treatment.
This distinction became clear in cases where patients had been referred on for second opinions.
One hundred and seventy-five (78%) SPECT patients, 180 (80%) CMR patients and 169 (75%) stress ECHO patients were referred on for angiography (figure 1).
The questionnaire asked about patients with subjective tinnitus who were managed by the respondent and those who were referred on for management (Q7, Appendix 1).
Patients receiving conservative management who worsened significantly would normally be referred on for alternative opinion and were not recruited into the study.
Patients, with psychological comorbidities that need further optimisation were sent for a 3-month psychiatric review and if a satisfactory improvement was achieved, they were then referred on for a surgical opinion.
