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Reasons for referral from general practice in Finland
A T Vehviläinen1, E A Kumpusalo, J K Takala
1University of Kuopio, Department of Community Health and General Practice, Finland.
Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
|March 1, 1997
Summary
Referrals from Finnish general practice show male patients are more often sent to surgery. Female general practitioners (GPs) more frequently refer patients to gynaecology. Common reasons include otitis media and abdominal pain.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- General Practice
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Understanding referral patterns from general practice is crucial for healthcare resource allocation.
- Referral practices can be influenced by patient demographics, clinician characteristics, and practice types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the primary reasons for patient referrals from general practice in Finland.
- To analyze referral patterns based on patient sex, general practitioner (GP) sex, and specialty.
Main Methods:
- A one-week survey of all referrals from general practice was conducted.
- Data were collected from 851 general practitioners (GPs) in central and northern Finland.
- Referral reasons were coded using ICD-9 and ICPC codes, analyzing patient, GP, and practice characteristics.
Main Results:
- Male patients (39%) were referred to surgical specialties more often than female patients (33%).
- Female GPs referred 10% of patients to gynaecology, compared to 5% by male GPs.
- Otitis media in children and abdominal pain in adults were the most frequent referral reasons.
Conclusions:
- Findings can inform the development of GP training programs.
- Training can be tailored to address health problems most commonly leading to hospital referrals.