HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fitzpatrick, A S Articles by McCarron, M O Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fitzpatrick, A S Articles by McCarron, M O

Inpatient use and usefulness of a district general hospital neurologist

¹ Neurology Department, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland
² Department of Neurology, Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry, Northern Ireland

Correspondence to:
Dr Mark McCarron, Department of Neurology, Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry BT47 6SB, Northern Ireland; markmccarron@doctors.org.uk

Keywords: neurology; ward referrals

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The Association of British Neurologists (ABN) has suggested that neurologists "make a valuable contribution to the diagnosis and management of acute neurology through the medium of neurological ward referrals".¹ However, most of the supporting data for this have come from ward referrals in teaching hospitals.^2–5 There has been relatively little study of inpatient neurology in district general hospitals (DGHs).^{6 7} In a prospective study we sought to assess the diagnostic and management roles of a neurologist in a cohort of DGH ward referrals.

All new adult inpatient referrals to a single DGH consultant neurologist in northwest Northern Ireland were eligible for study over a 12 month period. Ward referrals were assessed twice or three times per week by one of the authors (MOM). Patients assessed by visiting neurologists (who attended for <40 days throughout the year) were not included in the study.

Of 8385 medical admissions during 2006, 276 neurological . . . [Full text of this article]