This paper reports on neurological and neurosurgical referrals overseas from the @entity580 ( @entity580 ) for the period November 1987 to November 1996, and is a follow up to an earlier report for the period January 1984 to November 1987. It outlines the pattern of referral, diagnoses, referral centres and costs based on examination of the files of all @entity580 @entity1 transferred overseas under a government aided scheme. There were 203 transfers of 191 @entity1 (69 males, 122 females) including 10 @entity1 who were transferred twice and one @entity1 who was transferred three times. @entity1 ' ages ranged from 1 to 80 years (mean 37 years). Twenty overseas centres were used during the period but most @entity1 were transferred to Brooklyn Hospital, New York in 1988, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, between 1989 and 1994, and Hospital de Clinicas Caracas, Venezuela (1992 to 1996). 65% of the referrals were for neurosurgery and 25% were for magnetic resonance imaging scans for diagnosis. The largest diagnostic categories were @entity1221 (40%) and @entity510 (25%). Estimated costs reached almost BDS 11 million, but the mean actual cost was BDS 63,916 based on information from 123 @entity1 transfers. Thus, the actual total government expenditure was probably closer to BDS 13 million. This study demonstrates the urgent need to establish a neurosurgical service at the @entity580 and the cost effectiveness of doing so.

Neurological and neurosurgical referrals overseas from the XXXX , Barbados, 1987-1996.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity1221 :: ('MESH:D016543', 'Disease') :: ['central nervous system tumors'] @entity510 :: ('MESH:D013345', 'Disease') :: ['subarachnoid haemorrhage'] @entity580 :: ('MESH:D003428', 'Disease') :: ['QEH', 'Queen Elizabeth Hospital']
@entity580 :: (MESH:D003428,Disease) :: ['Queen Elizabeth Hospital']
