The 'natural history' of declined outpatient gastroenterology referrals

To evaluate the 'natural history' of outpatients who were referred to the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Alberta Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta) for gastrointestinal problems and were subsequently declined.

Patients were tracked for 12 months after they were referred and declined for the following indications: abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, fecal occult blood test-positive stools and iron deficiency. For each patient, data regarding consultations by other gastroenterologists or surgeons working in the region, clinically relevant diagnoses and the number of gastrointestinal-related x-rays performed were obtained.

Of a total sample size of 230 patients, 110 (47.8%) were seen by another gastroenterologist or surgeon after decline. A significant diagnosis was made in 21 patients (9.1%), which had immediate clinical consequences in 29%. Forty per cent of patients underwent one or more gastointestinal-related x-rays before being declined, which increased to 55% after decline.

Approximately 50% of declined patients were seen by other gastroenterologists or surgeons in the region. In 9.1% of these patients, a clinically important diagnosis was made, of which one-quarter had immediate medical consequences.