Referral Patterns to Pediatric Rheumatology From Primary Care Physicians and General Pediatrics at a Single Pediatric Rheumatology Center in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Objective This study aims to investigate referral patterns to pediatric rheumatology and assess the correctness of referrals from primary care physicians and pediatric specialties. Methodology A cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted on all patients who were referred to the Pediatric Rheumatology Department since 2015 (N = 282) at King Abdullah Specialized Children's Hospital (KASCH), Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic. Age, gender, reason for referral, clinical features, referring department, and final diagnosis were taken as variables. Data were collected through the documents and records of the cases (referrals) in the electronic medical records system of the hospital (BestCare). Then Excel was used for data entry, and JMP statistical software, version 14.0.0 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) was used for data analysis. Results In a total of 282 patients across the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic, KASCH, the most common reason for referral to the clinic was joint pain (112, 43%) and the least common reason was rash (6, 2.3%). The most common diagnosis was juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) (24, 26.6%). The majority of patients referred to the rheumatology department did not have a rheumatological disease (169, 65%). The majority of the referrals were from pediatrics subspecialties (168, 65%). The least referred department was primary care ( 21, 8%). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the referral pattern, accuracy, and profile of a pediatric rheumatology clinic population in Saudi Arabia. Expectedly, the most common reason for referral was arthralgia. The most common diagnosis was JIA. According to the results, most of the referrals were inaccurate as they did not end up with a rheumatological diagnosis. Pediatric subspecialties should be more aware of the nature of rheumatological disease to avoid over-referrals. Finding a pattern of referrals to pediatric rheumatology is an excellent modality to accomplish early diagnosis and the best possible prognosis.

Keywords: juvenile idiopathic arthritis; pediatric rheumatology; referral pattern; rheumatic diseases; saudi arabia.

Figure 1. Number of referred patients per year.