General practitioner perspectives on referrals to paediatric public specialty clinics

Abstract

Background: Changes in the demography of Australia have resulted in changes in patterns of primary care delivery. One of these changes is that the proportion of paediatric visits has decreased. Objectives: The objectives of the article are to examine patient, practice and personal factors that influence a general practitioner's (GP's) decision to refer patients for paediatric specialty care, and investigate referral goals and experience with shared care. Method: A mail survey was sent out to 400 GPs who had referred at least two children to public hospital specialty clinics during 2014. Results: The response rate for the mail survey was 67%. The factors most commonly reported by GPs as 'Some..