General practitioner referral patterns.

A survey of general practitioners (GPs) in the Western Health and Social Services Board was carried out in November 1990. The main objectives were to determine the factors which influence GPs' decisions to refer to particular hospitals and to ascertain current out-patient referral patterns. A self-administered questionnaire was sent to 157 GPs. The response rate was 94 per cent. It was found that waiting lists and personal knowledge of consultants' expertise were considered to be of particular importance in making referral decisions for elective/non-urgent procedures. Referrals were usually made to the nearest hospital with a relevant out-patient clinic. The majority (96 per cent) of respondents indicated that they would be willing to change their referral patterns for elective/non-urgent procedures in response to shorter waiting times. It is concluded that GPs may be more willing to change their referral patterns than might have been expected.