SynthesisCMAJ open
Effects of a single-entry intake system on access to outpatient visits to specialist physicians and allied health professionals: a systematic review.
Synthesis in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 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
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Patient and provider perspective with the use of a central intake system (CIS) for surgical waitlist management: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Centralised referral platform for child and adolescent mental health services: a mixed-methods evaluation of implementation processes and care pathways.BMJ mental health · 2026Article
- Article
- Reduced wait times for hepatology referrals in a prospective quality improvement initiative.Hepatology communications · 2026Article
- Article
- Single-entry models as an ethical approach to decreasing surgical wait times.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025Article
- Effect of single-entry referral models and team-based care on wait times for hip and knee joint replacement in Ontario: a simulation study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2025Article
- COVID-related delays in non-urgent adult surgeries: comparing population-based results from two Canadian provinces.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Article
- Primary care in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: Lessons from Ontario.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2025Article
- Article
- The emergency department is no place to be told you have cancer.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024Article
- Improving access to chronic pain care with central referral and triage: The 6-year findings from a single-entry model.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2024Article
- Centralized Intake Models and Recommendations for Their Use in Non-Acute Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Specialist wait time reporting using family physicians' electronic medical record data: a mixed method study of feasibility and clinical utility.BMC primary care · 2022Article
- Exploring the implementation and underlying mechanisms of centralized referral systems to access specialized health services in Quebec.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Perceptions of Otolaryngologists on Single-Entry Models for Managing Wait Times in Community-Based Health Care in Ontario: A Qualitative Study.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeArticle
- "My Quality of Life is Not There. I'm Dying Here. I Cannot Take This Anymore." Exploring Patient Experiences With Surgical Wait Times in Otolaryngology: A Mixed Methods Study.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeArticle
- Evaluating Perceptions of Head and Neck Surgeons on the Role of Single-Entry Models in Managing Surgical Waitlists in Ontario: A Qualitative Study.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeArticle
- A Qualitative Study on the Role of Single-Entry Models in Managing Surgical Backlogs in Pediatric Otolaryngology Part 1: Investigating Perceptions of Referring Physicians and Otolaryngologists.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeArticle
- A Qualitative Study on the Role of Single-Entry Models in Managing Surgical Backlogs in Pediatric Otolaryngology Part 2: Investigating Perceptions of Patients and Their Caregivers.Journal of otolaryngology - head & neck surgery = Le Journal d'oto-rhino-laryngologie et de chirurgie cervico-facialeArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCanada lags behind other countries with respect to wait times for specialist physician and allied health professional consultations. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effects of a single-entry model on waiting time, referral volume and the satisfaction of patients and health care providers.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL and CINAHL databases from inception to December 2019. We included studies from countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that reported on the effects of a single-entry model on the time between referral to first assessment by a specialist physician or allied health professional, termed wait time 1 (WT1). Patient volume and the satisfaction of providers and patients were secondary outcomes. We conducted a narrative synthesis using descriptive statistics.
resultsOf the 4637 citations identified, 17 met the eligibility criteria, and we included 10 of these in the final analysis. All of the included studies reported an absolute reduction in WT1 after implementation of the single-entry model. The average percent reduction in WT1 across specialties was greatest for surgical referrals (57%) and urgent internal medicine referrals (40%). Higher initial WT1 was associated with a greater absolute reduction in WT1 after implementation of the single-entry model (
interpretationSingle-entry models were associated with an absolute reduction in time from referral from primary care to consultation. These models represent a promising option to improve access to a range of health services, but there is a need for rigorous prospective evaluations to inform policy. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42018100395.
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.