ArticleBMC family practice2017
Primary care physician referral patterns in Ontario, Canada: a descriptive analysis of self-reported referral data.
Article in BMC family practice, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Decision Support Systems for Healthcare Referral Strategies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- A Unique Way to Axe the Fax Through Using Business Automation Workflow to Expedite eReferral Adoption, Bridging eReferral, and Fax: Proof-of-Concept Study.JMIR medical informatics · 2025Article
- Association between primary care physicians' practice models and referral rates to specialists: A sex-based cross-sectional study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Showcasing the Saudi e-referral system experience: the epidemiology and pattern of referrals utilising nationwide secondary data.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Assessing Quality of Referrals to a Community-Based Chronic Pain Clinic.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2024Article
- Specialist wait time reporting using family physicians' electronic medical record data: a mixed method study of feasibility and clinical utility.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Today's referral is tomorrow's repeat patient: referrals to and between medical outpatient clinics in a hospital.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Where does residents' choice of primary medical treatment come from?-A logical analysis based on the perspective of service accessibility and residents' cognition.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- Evaluation of Rheumatology Workforce Supply Changes in Ontario, Canada, from 2000 to 2030.Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante · 2021Article
- Effectiveness of the use of an algorithm in the diagnostic approach of joint pain patients by primary care physicians.Rheumatology international · 2020Article
- The Willingness for Downward Referral and Its Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study among Older Adults in Shandong, China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Quality and continuity of information between primary care physicians and rheumatologists.BMC rheumatology · 2019Article
- Referral patterns for common surgical procedures in Ontario: a cross-sectional population-level study.Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgieArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn many countries, the referral-consultation process faces a number of challenges from inefficiencies and rising demand, resulting in excessive wait times for many specialties. We collected referral data from a sample of family doctors across the province of Ontario, Canada as part of a larger program of research. The purpose of this study is to describe referral patterns from primary care to specialist and allied health services from the primary care perspective.
methodsWe conducted a prospective study of patient referral data submitted by primary care providers (PCP) from 20 clinics across Ontario between June 2014 and January 2016. Monthly referral volumes expressed as a total number of referrals to all medical and allied health professionals per month. For each referral, we also collected data on the specialty type, reason for referral, and whether the referral was for a procedure.
resultsPCPs submitted a median of 26 referrals per month (interquartile range 11.5 to 31.8). Of 9509 referrals eligible for analysis, 97.8% were directed to medical professionals and 2.2% to allied health professionals. 55% of medical referrals were directed to non-surgical specialties and 44.8% to surgical specialties. Medical referrals were for procedures in 30.8% of cases and non-procedural in 40.9%. Gastroenterology received the largest share (11.2%) of medical referrals, of which 62.3% were for colonoscopies. Psychology received the largest share (28.3%) of referrals to allied health professionals.
conclusionWe described patterns of patient referral from primary care to specialist and allied health services for 30 PCPs in 20 clinics across Ontario. Gastroenterology received the largest share of referrals, nearly two-thirds of which were for colonoscopies. Future studies should explore the use of virtual care to help manage non-procedural referrals and examine the impact that procedural referrals have on wait times for gastroenterology.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.