General Practice Registrars' Management of and Specialist Referral Patterns for Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common presentation in the general practice (GP) setting. Implementation of appropriate referral pathways is instrumental for best patient care and is an essential skill for Australian GP registrars.

We aimed to explore the prevalence and associations of GP registrar referrals to specialists for AD management.

A cross-sectional analysis utilizing data from the Registrar Clinical Encounters in Training (ReCEnT) project, an ongoing cohort study that documents in-consultation clinical and educational experience of Australian GP registrars. Registrar, patient, and consultation factors associated with referrals for AD were established using logistic regression.

A total of 2,783 registrars (96% response rate) provided data from 381,180 consultations from 2010 to 2019. A total of 3,285 (0.55%) of 595,412 diagnoses managed were AD, of which 222 (6.8%) resulted in referral. Of these referrals, 70% were to dermatologists, 17% to allergists/immunologists, and 10% to pediatricians. Associations of referral included registrar female gender, patient age, longer consultation duration; an established (rather than new) AD diagnosis; supervisor advice being sought; and learning goals being generated.

Both registrar and patient factors influence AD referral patterns. Registrars referred established rather than newly diagnosed AD, suggesting a level of comfort in initial management. Referral was associated with longer consultations, seeking supervisor advice, and generation of learning goals-suggesting these are more complex presentations and, possibly, registrar learning opportunities. A significant proportion of referrals were to non-dermatologist specialists. The implication of this for optimal patient care is a subject for further study.