Referral Rates in Different Health Care Models in Lithuania
Author Information
Author(s): Andrzej Zielinski, Anders Håkansson, Arnoldas Jurgutis, Ingvar Ovhed, Anders Halling
Primary Institution: Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, General Practice/Family Medicine
Hypothesis
Family medicine practices would provide more comprehensive primary health care services than the polyclinics.
Conclusion
Family medicine practices located in rural areas had significantly lower referral rates to specialised health care compared to urban areas.
Supporting Evidence
- Patients in rural family medicine practices had lower referral rates than those in urban practices.
- Co-morbidity levels were correlated with higher referral rates.
- The study used a large population sample from Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Takeaway
In rural areas, family doctors send fewer patients to specialists than those in cities, which means they might be doing a better job of taking care of their patients.
Methodology
The study analyzed referral rates from 18 primary health care practices using data from the Lithuanian State Sickness Fund database and Poisson regression models.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the inability to discern the reasons for increased referral rates in urban areas.
Limitations
The study was limited by the data available from the Lithuanian State Sickness Fund and could not separate referrals from PHC physicians to specialists from those made by specialists to other specialists.
Participant Demographics
The study included 250,070 inhabitants from Klaipeda city and region, with data on age, gender, and co-morbidity levels.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
1.07–1.53
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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