General practitioner attitudes and experiences of orthopaedic services in the Irish midlands.

Introduction: Disorders of the musculoskeletal system are the main cause of disability and lost working days worldwide, and osteoarthritis affects almost half a million people in Ireland. Appropriate access and resourcing of general practice and orthopaedics is a necessary measure for the provision of a safe and efficient health service. One area that remains particularly challenging in Ireland is that of outpatient waiting lists, and the purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes and experiences of general practitioners in the Irish midlands with regard to orthopaedic services and to evaluate these in the context of national strategies and international best practice.

The "National Integrated Medical Imaging System" [NIMIS]-friend, not nimesis!

Introduction: The "National Integrated Medical Imaging System" or NIMIS went live in 2011 and allows the movement of patient radiology imaging throughout the Irish health system. At the time of its launch, NIMIS was not only going to allow the filmless passage of patient radiology imaging but it was also envisaged that it would act as a medical image archive. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness and use of non-consultant hospital doctors and hospital consultants with regard to this medical image archive/referral function of NIMIS.