An observational study of variation in GPs' out-of-hours emergency referrals

Out-of-hours organisations are responsible for the care of patients 70% of the time, and their GPs act as gatekeepers to secondary care services. This observational study identifies the variations in GPs' out-of-hours referral rates to secondary care and factors that could explain these variations. One hundred and forty-nine GPs who worked in one UK general practice out-of-hours cooperative which served 19 practices with 167 000 registered patients. Data on patients who accessed the out-of-hours service over 3 years (2001-2004) were examined. Factors thought to be predictors of variation in referral rates were investigated using logistic regression analysis. There was a fivefold difference in referral rates between the lowest and highest referring quartiles of GPs (OR [odds ratio] = 4.56, CI [confidence interval] = 3.86 to 5.38). The sex (female) of the clinician, the time of the consultation (11 pm to 7 am), and the place of the consultation (home visit) accounted for some, but not all, of the increased referral rates. A doctor working out-of-hours disproportionately influences the fate of the patient, the number of hospital admissions, and extra costs to the health service. There is a need for follow-up studies to investigate the factors associated with referral behaviour, and how the variation relates to patient factors and the resources available. These findings could be used when planning the staffing of out-of-hours services to optimise appropriate care and minimise patients' exposure to unnecessary intrusive and expensive hospital care.