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Evaluation of referrals from general practice to a neurological department
Svein Ivar Bekkelund1, Claus Albretsen
1Department of Neurology, Tromsø University Hospital, N-9038 Tromsø, Norway.
Background:
The presence of neurological deficits as obtained from clinical examination increases the likelihood of detecting serious underlying brain disorders.
Objectives:
In this study, we assessed the frequency of reported clinical neurological examination in patients referred to neurology.
Methods:
We consecutively evaluated referrals to a neurological centre during a 6-month period.
Results:
From a total of 716 patients, 377 (51%) had an examination reported in the referral letter. Clinical examinations were reported more often in patients with musculo-skeletal disorders compared with others, P = 0.0001. Examination was less likely to be reported in those with a history of disturbed consciousness.
Conclusion:
By showing that only about half of the patients had an examination reported, the study demonstrates that the process of selecting those with a high priority for a secondary neurological service can be improved.