Abstract
Data for 714 patients referred during a 5-year period to a specialist lymphoedema service in Oxford, UK, have been recorded on a database. The annual number of new patients almost doubled from 103 to 195. In addition to initial assessments, there were over 1000 follow-up appointments per year. Most patients were seen as out-patients. Fifty-six per cent of the referrals were from Oxfordshire and the rest from further afield. The two largest groups referring patients to the service were general practitioners (43%) and the radiotherapy department (26%). Most referrals were female (84%), and the main cause of lymphoedema was cancer and cancer treatments (68%). After 2 years, only 15% of patients were still attending the clinic regularly. The number of patients receiving intensive treatment increased by almost 40%. These findings emphasize the need to target resources and expertise selectively in order to provide an optimal service to patients needing specialist help.
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