Points for pain: waiting list priority scoring systems

摘要: Doctors have long worried that the British government's emphasis on number of people waiting lists, and time they spend there, obscures need to treat patients according clinical urgency. This concern has been voiced most recently in a report from BMA,1 2 though others gone further pointed futility pursuing policies reduce, or even abolish, lists.3 4 The BMA warns additional funds earmarked for reducing NHS lists times will provide an incentive operating large numbers minor cases, leaving more urgent cases potentially cost effective treatments wait. danger with such initiatives is only temporary relief do not address underlying problem ensuring operate as efficient equitable non-price rationing mechanism. paper argues favour priority scoring systems, those developed elective health care New Zealand, Canada, Sweden. 5 6 7 success systems seems, however, be mixed. In Zealand evaluation generic surgical criteria at Auckland Hospital showed wide variation poor agreement between surgeons' judgment assessing score obtained score.8 In Sweden central …