Transferring records when patients change family doctors

Area of Science:

• Medical Practice Management
• Health Information Systems
• Physician Communication

Background:

• Patient record transfer is crucial for continuity of care but frequently problematic.
• Current practices often lead to physician frustration and suboptimal information utility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey Ontario family physicians regarding their current patient record transfer practices.
• To identify physician preferences, perceived usefulness of transferred data, and preferred transfer formats.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was distributed to 475 randomly selected Ontario family physicians.
• An 84% response rate was achieved, providing data on current record transfer procedures.

Main Results:

• Only 36.5% of physicians found transferred information consistently useful; 51.5% regularly obtained past records.
• Consultation letters and discharge summaries were preferred, though sending other physicians' letters contradicted policy.
• Written summaries with photocopies were popular but time-consuming and expensive.

Conclusions:

• Current patient record transfer practices are inefficient and often yield limited utility for physicians.
• Physicians favor specific document types but employ costly methods, suggesting a need for revised guidelines.
• A significant portion of physicians believe a fee should be associated with record transfer.