Author/Editor		Švab, I
Title		Multivariatna analiza vzrokov napotitev iz splošnih ambulant
Translated title		Multivariate analysis of the reasons for referral from general practice
Type		članek
Source		Zdrav Vestn
Vol. and No.		Letnik 63, št. 3
Publication year		1994
Volume		str. 155-62
Language		slo
Abstract		Background. The study deals with referrals, which are an important part of general practitioner's work. It was planned in order to achieve the following aims: - to make a description of the situation, achieved in the development of general practice in Slovenia - to determine the importance of the factors that influence the referral decision among general practitioners in Slovenia; - to compare the work of general practitioners in Slovenia with other European general practitioners, using the same methodology. The following hypotheses have been formulated: - the variability of the referral rate among Slovenian general practitioners and those in other European countries is similar; - general practitioners with a low referral rate differ from the others regarding the factors that influence the referral decision; - these factors can be defined using statistical methods. Methods. The study is a part of an European international multicenter trial. The author has participated in the project management group as a Slovenian representative among the representatives from 14 other countries. The research was conducted with EEC funding. The general practitioners have registered the data about themselves, their workingplace, their work and about 30 consecutive referrals. The Slovenian data are shown separately, and later again in comparison with other countries participating in the study. The factors that influence the referral decision in Slovenia are analysed using logistic regression. Results. The Slovenian general practitioners had the highest number of referrals in a working week in the study. The most frequent specialty was surgery, followed by internal medicine. They also had the highest percentage of re-referrals, routine referrals and the referrals where there was no patients' influence on the decision to refer. The delay from the referral to the appointment with the specialist was short. The author succeeded in confirming the three hypotheses.(trunc.)
Descriptors		PRIMARY HEALTH CARE REFERRAL AND CONSULTATION MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRES