Typologies in GPs' referral practice.

Area of Science:

• General Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• General practitioners' (GPs) referral decisions significantly influence secondary care utilization.
• Understanding GP referral practices is crucial for optimizing healthcare resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore and characterize the diverse aspects of GPs' referral practices.
• To investigate GPs' opinions and self-reported experiences regarding the referral process.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional observational study involving 128 Norwegian GPs using questionnaires.
• Data collected from 57 participating GPs on 691 elective referrals.
• Principal component analysis and multiple linear regression were employed to identify referral typologies.

Main Results:

• Eight principal components revealed varied GP referral approaches.
• Two distinct typologies emerged: 'confidence' (specialists, patient-centered, collaborative) and 'uncertainty' (non-specialists, high workload, patient pressure).
• Specialists were predominantly female, while uncertain GPs were younger and mainly male.

Conclusions:

• Training in patient-centered methods and interprofessional collaboration can enhance GP confidence.
• Fostering cooperation with patients and hospital consultants may improve referral practices.
• Interventions focusing on communication and self-reflection can positively impact GP referral behaviors.