Small outpatient departments

Vraag

We want to switch to a (small) outpatient department close to our place of residence. There, we have been told that the smaller outpatient departments would have to send their patients to a bigger outpatient department twice a year, so that it would be useless to switch. Is that true?

Antwoord

Hello,

Your question touchs some of the most important points regarding the optimal care of CF patients. On the one hand patients wish qualified care at the best possible stage – and this is on the top of the list for most of them –, but on the other hand, this care should be available as close to home as possible. If the offers and the quality in small and big facilities were equal one could simply choose the one that is closest to the place of residence. But it is not that easy. Not without reason smaller facilities present their patients regularly (in most cases at least once a year) at a center. There are more possibilities and mostly more experiences even with rarer problems in CF. Only at such centers there is frequently the possibility of transplantation or respiratory home care, so that it can make sense to make use of such a combined care by small and big facilities if the regular way to the big facility seems to be unacceptable.

All roads lead to Rome, so finally you have to decide in this case what is important for you and then choose the best solution.

Good luck.
Best regards,
Prof. TOF Wagner

23.04.2008