The consultants’ role in the referring process with general practitioners: partners or adjudicators? a qualitative study

BMC Family Practice

Research Article

Anders Baerheim¹  Miriam Hartveit²  Olav Thorsen³ 

[1] Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Research Network of Integrated Care in Western Norway, Helse Fonna HF, Haugesund, Norway;Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway;Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway;

关键词: Clinical Pathway;    Specialty Care;    Hospital Specialist;    Referral Rate;    Referral Process;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2296-14-153

 received in 2013-04-21, accepted in 2013-10-09,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWithin the health system, communication between the different levels of care is essential for the patients’ clinical pathways and medical treatment. This includes the referral process: how and why patients are sent from the primary care level to specialist health services. We wanted to identify and describe hospital consultants’ reflections on and attitudes to the referral process and cooperation with general practitioners (GPs).MethodsA qualitative study of semi-structured interviews with 13 hospital consultants representing eight different specialties, analyzed using systematic text condensation. Interviews conducted from February 2011 to October 2012.ResultsThe consultants reported a considerable workload assessing referrals from GPs and prioritizing patients for specialist services. National guidelines were used as well as individual standards and guidelines. Good referrals could make the prioritization process easier. The specialists expressed a deep concern about securing a fair priority of patients and a willingness to give reasonable advice back to the referring GP when rejecting a referral. Better communication, such as a telephone call to confer with a hospital specialist before referral, was wanted.ConclusionsBetter communication and cooperation between hospital consultants and GPs could make the referral process more balanced, and the participants more like partners.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Thorsen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013