Consultation and referral patterns from a teaching hospital emergency department

The objective of this study was to describe consultation and referral patterns from a military emergency department (ED). The design of the study consisted of a prospective analysis of consultations and referrals from Madigan Army Medical Center ED during April 1990, an Army Medical Center with multiple residencies, including emergency medicine (EM). Patient population included active and retired military personnel, their families, and civilian emergency medical system-transported patients. ED visits averaged 60,000 per year. The overall rate of consultation and referral was 39.9%; 10.7% were consultations, whereas 29.2% were referrals. PGY-2 and -3 EM residents consultation rates were higher than average. Of all ED visits, 19.7% resulted in consultations or referrals to surgical services, 13.6% to medical services, and 2.8% to pediatrics. ED patients frequently are referred to or result in consultations with non-EM physicians. Differences in consultation by level of training and the impact of consultation on consulting services both deserve further investigation. Review of EM resident use of consultation and referral may focus evaluation of ED care in teaching hospitals.