Patterns of referral to the paediatric specialist clinic of a regional hospital: descriptive study

Abstract

Objective: To study the patterns of referral to a paediatric specialist out-patient clinic.

Design: Descriptive study.

Setting: Regional hospital, Hong Kong.

Patients: The 1985 referral letters of patients who were referred to the paediatric specialist clinic during 1998 were studied.

Main outcome measures: Common referral diagnoses according to sources of referral.

Results: The common sources of referral were maternal and child health centres (34.7%), accident and emergency departments (26.9%), the Student Health Service (12.9%), private practitioners (10.5%), and general out-patient clinics (9.8%). The common referral diagnoses from maternal and child health centres (n=689) were growth problems (37. 7%), heart murmurs (16.8%), and neonatal jaundice (10.9%). Asthma or suspected asthma constituted the majority of referrals from accident and emergency departments (227/533; 42.6%). Deviations in growth (41. 4%), problems regarding puberty (13.7%), apparent heart problems (13. 3%), and nocturnal enuresis (11.7%) were the common referral diagnoses from the Student Health Service (n=256).

Conclusions: Studying referral patterns from various sources is helpful in organising medical services and identifying training needs.