Radiology is valuable to general practitioners; but who pays?

This study evaluated an open access general practitioner radiological service. Questionnaires were completed in 216 out of 250 cases both before and after radiological examination. Chests and specials (bariums, intravenous urography, ultrasound) were most often of diagnostic value when confirming normality, while other radiographs were more likely to be of value in assessing the severity of known disease ( P P It is concluded that open access radiology is a considerable help with diagnosis and management, and substantially reduces out-patient referrals. The possible consequences for the acute services of providing a full general practitioner diagnostic service are discussed.