Review of Specialty Referral Measures
Author Information
Author(s): James P. Guevara, Diane Hsu, Christopher B. Forrest
Primary Institution: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Hypothesis
The study aims to identify published measures that assess specialty referrals.
Conclusion
There are published measures available to assess the specialty referral process, but many are limited and require new data collection.
Supporting Evidence
- The study identified 2,964 unique articles and selected 214 papers for review.
- Most measures were applied in adults and assessed structural elements of the referral process.
- The majority of measures focused on referral initiation, entry into specialty care, coordination, and quality.
Takeaway
This study looked at how doctors refer patients to specialists and found many ways to measure this process, but some areas need more work.
Methodology
A systematic review of literature from MEDLINE and HealthSTAR databases to identify measures of specialty referral.
Potential Biases
Potential publication bias and reliance on new data collection methods may limit the applicability of findings.
Limitations
The review may have missed important measures due to publication bias and did not endorse a core set of measures.
Participant Demographics
The majority of measures assessed adult populations, with some focusing on children.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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