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Published on: August 1, 2019
Improving patient return to general practice after specialist assessment.
Fiona Foley1, Rob Selzer, Michael McGartland
1Monash University and Alfred Health -- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. f.foley@alfred.org.au
Summary
A simple letter intervention significantly improved patient follow-up rates after psychiatric assessments. This strategy quadrupled the rate of patients returning to their general practitioners within a month.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- General Practice
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Patient follow-up after psychiatric assessment is crucial for continuity of care.
- Referral to follow-up after referral (FAR) rates can be suboptimal.
- Effective strategies are needed to improve patient engagement with general practitioners post-assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a two-pronged letter intervention aimed at enhancing the follow-up after referral (FAR) rate.
- To assess the impact of this strategy on patients referred for psychiatric assessment.
Main Methods:
- Examined FAR rates of patients referred to a Primary Mental Health Team (PMHT) before and after intervention.
- Intervention involved sending letters to patients and practice managers regarding appointment scheduling.
- Data collected via telephone calls for patients referred between June 2007 and June 2008.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant improvement in FAR rate was observed post-intervention (p = 0.016).
- The rate of patients not returning to their GP within 1 month decreased from 44% to 10.5%.
- This represents a fourfold improvement in the follow-up rate.
Conclusions:
- Simple, inexpensive letter interventions can substantially improve patient return rates to general practitioners.
- This strategy enhances continuity of care post-psychiatric assessment.
- The intervention proved effective in increasing follow-up after referral rates.
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