Open AccessRecognition of Patient Referral Desires in an Academic Managed Care Plan
Author(s) -
Albertson Gail A.,
Lin C. T.,
Kutner Jean,
Schilling Lisa M.,
Anderson Susan N.,
Anderson Robert J.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of general internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.746
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 1525-1497
pISSN - 0884-8734
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2000.02208.x
Subject(s) - referral , medicine , family medicine , patient satisfaction , patient referral , nursing
OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency and determinants of provider nonrecognition of patients' desires for specialist referral. DESIGN: Prospective study. SETTING: Internal medicine clinic in an academic medical center providing primary care to patients enrolled in a managed care plan. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve faculty internists serving as primary care providers (PCPs) for 856 patient visits. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients were given previsit and postvisit questionnaires asking about referral desire and visit satisfaction. Providers, blinded to patients' referral desire, were asked after the visit whether a referral was discussed, who initiated the referral discussion, and whether the referral was indicated. Providers failed to discuss referral with 27% of patients who indicated a definite desire for referral and with 56% of patients, who indicated a possible desire for referral. There was significant variability in provider recognition of patient referral desire. Recognition is defined as the provider indicating that a referral was discussed when the patient marked a definite or possible desire for referral. Provider recognition improved significantly ( P < .05), when the patient had more than one referral desire, if the patient or a family member was a health care worker and when the patient noted a definite desire versus a possible desire for referral. Patients were more likely ( P < .05) to initiate a referral discussion when they had seen the PCP previously and had more than one referral desire. Of patient‐initiated referral requests, 14% were considered “not indicated” by PCPs. Satisfaction with care did not differ in patients with a referral desire that were referred and those that were nor referred. CONCLUSIONS: These PCPs frequently failed to explicitly recognize patients' referral desires. Patients were more likely to initiate discussions of a referral desire when they saw their usual PCP and had more than a single referral desire.