[An analysis of the referrals to specialist consultations made in a health center]

Abstract

The study of referrals from primary care areas permits the evaluation of health care in this level and reveals the educational requirements of the specialists in family medicine. Between January and April 1988 a prospective study was carried out to evaluate the referrals to the second level of care in the health center V Centenario. In 27,657 visits 1,906 referrals to the different specialties were ordered, which represents a rate of 6.89%. The most commonly consulted specialties were gynecology (18.94% of the overall referrals), ophthalmology (18.04%) and traumatology (16.10%). Psychiatry (1.41%), neurology (1.31%) and endocrinology (1.41%) were the specialties with the lowest referral rates. We compared our results with those from other authors and we have calculated what influence would be exerted on the second level of care if all primary care physicians had similar referral rates to those obtained in our center.