Quality of psychiatric referrals to secondary-level care
South African Journal of Psychiatry
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Quality of psychiatric referrals to secondary-level care | |
| Creator | Struwig, W Pretorius, P J | |
| Description | Objectives. This study examined the quality of referrals to secondary-level outpatient psychiatric services rendered by the Department of Psychiatry, University of the Free State. Referral letters were evaluated according to specific quality criteria. Aspects that would enable secondary-level doctors to make informed decisions in terms of further management and need for special investigations were specifically considered. Design. A descriptive study design was used, and convenience sampling included all referrals to the unit over a 6-month period (June - November 2007). All referral letters were screened according to a checklist designed for this study. Setting. The study was undertaken at the Psychiatry Outpatient Department of the Pelonomi Provincial Hospital in Bloemfontein, which functions as a secondary-level referral centre for mental health in the southern Free State. Outcome measures. Descriptive statistics (percentages, means and standard deviations) were used to summarise results. Results. Two hundred and sixty-three referral letters were included in the study. Less than 20% of the referral letters included information on previous psychiatric consultations, current psychotropic medication, the outcome of physical examinations, and results of special investigations. Only 17 (6%) referral letters indicated a preliminary diagnosis according to an officially recognised classification system.Conclusion. There was conclusive evidence that the quality of referrals to the Psychiatry Department was generally inadequate. A need for more effective referral strategies was identified. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2009-06-01 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v15i2.207 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 15, No 2 (2009); 4 2078-6786 1608-9685 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/207/174
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