ABSTRACT
Objective To find out about the distribution both of the kinds of diseases afflicting outpatients and of the volume of outpatient service in the hospital so as to control the quality of outpatient sen'ice in a scientific way. Methods Using the method of whole group sampling survey, an investigation was made into all the outpatients to the hospital during the five working days of a certain week in April, 2002. Results The departments ranking in the first five places with regard to the volume of outpatient service were respectively the Departments of Orthopedics, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Otorhinolaryngology and Gastrointestinal Diseases. The kinds of diseases ranking in the first five places were respectively upper respiratory tract infection, diabetes, hypertension, gastritis and pregnancy. First-visit patients accounted for 54.6% while return-visit patients accounted for 45.4% . Conclusion It is imperative for the hospital to enhance its discipline development, define the orientation of its discipline development in line with the disease spectrum, take active steps to meet various challenges and improve the o, uality of its medical service.