Responding to psychosocial needs: physician perceptions of their referral practices for hospitalized patients

Physicians play a critical gatekeeping function related to psychosocial problem identification and subsequent referral to appropriate hospital or community services. Thirty physicians on staff at a moderate-size, multiservice medical facility were interviewed to determine their perceptions regarding identification of and referral rates for psychosocial problems of their hospitalized patients. In addition to raising questions for further investigation, this article provides a useful structure for gathering data for use by hospital social work departments in developing strategies to enhance physicians' collaboration with hospital social workers.