15 Apr 2010

Hospital sends half of ultrasound requests back to GPs

8:08 pm on 15 April 2010

About 250 patients have been taken off the list for ultrasounds and sent back to their GPs as the hospital in Whanganui struggles to cope with demand.

The Whanganui District Health Board can only guarantee quick ultrasound scans in urgent cases - many others are likely to be delayed and doctors asked if they are really needed.

Doctors are worried the squeeze will put pressure on other hospital services.

The DHB has not been able to hire an extra sonographer for nine months. About half of the 518 patients referred for ultrasound have been sent back to their GPs for review.

DHB chief executive Julie Patterson says GPs have been told delays are likely and alternatives such as CT scans have been suggested.

Bill Douglas has been a Whanagnui GP for 25 years and says doctors won't like ultrasounds being further restricted.

He says often ultrasound is requested before it is known how urgent the need is and diagnostic tests help rule out certain conditions and clarify what the situation is.

"Diagnostic tests like ultrasound are part of the thing that we require to do our job."

Dr Douglas says patients and doctors will at least know more quickly whether they'll get their scan, rather than waiting for three months.

But he says the DHB should consider more innovative solutions - such as providing GPs with portable ultrasound machines for basic scanning in their surgeries.

Whanganui chair of the Independent Practitioners Association, Rick Nicholson, is worried pressure will mount on other scans and the outpatients department.

Dr Nicholson says many patients will have to re-visit their GP, increasing their doctor's bill.

Ms Patterson says most ultrasound requests can be reviewed without another physical check-up and the DHB will talk with GPs about any extra cost to the patient.