Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
[Which criteria affect the cooperation between general practitioners and specialists in ambulatory care? A
Dagmar Gröber-Grätz1, Dirk Mosshammer, Regine Bölter
1Institut für Allgemeinmedizin, Universität Ulm, Ulm. dagmar.groeber-graetz@uni-ulm.de
Background:
Good cooperation between physicians is an essential requirement for quality health care. General practitioners (GPs) have a key role in coordinating the various levels of care and physician contacts. Within the scope of the "InteraKtion" study of the Competence Centre of General Practice Baden-Wuerttemberg GPs were interviewed about their experiences and opinions regarding their cooperation with specialists. The aim of this study was to identify criteria and barriers of the referral process.
Methods:
22 semi-structured interviews were conducted among GPs in Heidelberg, Tuebingen and Ulm. Data analysis was carried out using ATLAS.ti according to the qualitative content analysis by P. Mayring.
Results:
From the GPs' point of view, the criteria for referral to specialists include: specialists' medical skills, good doctor-patient relationship and patient satisfaction. In addition, the willingness to arrange short-term appointments in urgent cases, timely diagnosis and adequate communication were mentioned. The following barriers were pointed out: long appointment wait times and the specialists' increased provision of Individual Healthcare Services.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that GPs have clear criteria for referral to specialists. These findings should find their way into future quantitative studies to explore the weighting of the criteria and barriers discussed here. Joint training activities or quality circles could improve the personal contact between GPs and specialists working in the same region.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Assessment of the Gastrointestinal System II: Health Perception Pattern
Health Perception Patterns
Health perception patterns offer valuable insights into a patient's lifestyle habits and how they may impact their GI health. These patterns include:
01:08Obedience
01:11Secondary Healthcare System
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic illness...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution itself.