Organising unrestricted open access gastroscopy in South Tees.

Improving the detection rate of early gastric cancer requires more than open access gastroscopy: a five year study

“…It is unclear why some units seem to achieve a higher incidence of early disease compared with other centres 2. In theory OAG should only accelerate the diagnosis by a few weeks or months6 and by itself would not account for the higher incidence of EGC reported from some centres. On the other hand, lowering the referral threshold for investigating “benign” symptoms might increase the detection rate of EGC if gastroscopy is freely available to general practitioners.…”

Patient and professional views of open access hysterosalpingography for the initial management of infertility in primary care

“…17,18 Barriers to the introduction of open access gastroscopy included funding stream cuts, a fear of increased demand on secondary care, and negative consultant attitudes, 19 but it has since become established in routine practice. 20 Barriers to infertility management in primary care 10 are similar to those encountered in open access echocardiography: uncertainty and lack of knowledge; lack of confidence in establishing an accurate diagnosis; difficulty understanding the implications of the result; lack of access to diagnostic facilities; a rapidly changing complex field; and poor communication between primary and secondary care.…”

Open access

“…Only 18% of tests gave positive results. Open access to hospital services for general practitioners may save money by reducing attendances at clinics,2 but the cost of open access can be considerable. No money will be saved if a small fall in referrals to clinics is outweighed by a huge rise in investigations.…”