Referrals in family practice: a retrospective study of referrals - abstract

ABSTRACT

This study took a retrospective look at referrals from a primary care physician to secondary and tertiary institutions during three years of post-graduate training, July 1988 to September 1991. The aims were to assess the types of referrals made, their outcome and the degree of communication that existed between the specialities. Of the 151 referrals made, 41 (27.15 percent) were males and 110 (72.85 percent) were females; a male female ratio of 1 2.7. The age of referral followed the population distribution with the majority 37.77 per cent in the reproductive age group 15 - 44 years. Most of the referrals went to the departments of Surgery, Accident and Emergency, Opthalmology and to the Nutritionist. The surgical disciplines received 37.75 per cent of the referrals while 5.96 per cent went to the medical disciplines. Compliance with referrals was found to be 78.15 per cent, with 13.25 per cent of the patients requiring admission to hospital at the time of referral. Emergency management on referral was required in 19.21 per cent of cases, whilst 63.58 per cent of the patients had an out patient follow-up appointment. Resolution of the problem occurred in 42.38 per cent of patients. Ninety-five per cent [95.36] of the patients returned to the primary care setting after referral, although communication from the specialties was documented in only 11.92 per cent of the referrals. The remainder of information on referral outcome was verbal in 69.54 per cent while in 18.54 per cent of cases there was no documentation on referral outcome (AU)