Can guidelines improve referral to elective surgical specialties for adults? A Systematic review

Quality and Safety in Health Care

Volumn 19, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 187-194

  Clarke, A ^a   Blundell, N ^b   Forde, I ^c   Musila, N ^d   Spitzer, D ^e   Naqvi, S ^a   Browne, J ^d  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK   (United Kingdom)

^b Research in practice for adults   (United Kingdom)

^c UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

^d LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

^e QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ADULT; COST; ECONOMICS; ELECTIVE SURGERY; FACTUAL DATABASE; FEMALE; HUMAN; PATIENT REFERRAL; PRACTICE GUIDELINE; PRIMARY HEALTH CARE; REVIEW; STANDARD; SURGERY;

ADULT; COSTS AND COST ANALYSIS; DATABASES, FACTUAL; FEMALE; GUIDELINE ADHERENCE; HUMANS; PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC; PRIMARY HEALTH CARE; REFERRAL AND CONSULTATION; SPECIALTIES, SURGICAL; SURGICAL PROCEDURES, ELECTIVE;

EID: 77953843692     PISSN: 14753898     EISSN: 14753901     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/qshc.2008.029918     Document Type: Article

References (38)

1. O'Donnell C. Variation in GP referral rates: what can we learn from the literature? Fam Pract 2000; 17: 462-71.
2. Reynolds G, Chitnis J, Roland M. General practitioner outpatient referrals: do good doctors refer more patients to hospital? BMJ 1991; 302: 1250-2.
3. Wilkin D, Smith A. Variation in general practitioners' referral rates to consultants. J R Coll Gen Pract 1987; 37: 350-3.
4. National Institute of Clinical Excellence. (NICE) Referral advice: a guide to appropriate referral from general to specialist services. 2001. ISBN: 1-84257-144-3 http://www.nice.org.uk/media/A8F/DC/Referraladvice.pdf (accessed 4 Jan 2010).
5. Grimshaw JM, Winkens RAG, Shirran E, et al. Interventions to improve outpatient referrals from primary care to secondary care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005 Jul. 20; 3: CD005471.
6. Faulkner A, Mills N, Bainton, et al. A systematic review of the effect of primary carebased service innovations on quality and patterns of referral to specialist secondary care. Br J Gen Pract 2003; 53: 878-84.
7. Field M, Lohr K. Clinical practice guidelines: directions for a new program Washington, DC. National Academy Press; 1990.
8. Woolf S, Grol R, Hutchinson A, et al. Clinical guidelines: potential benefits, limitations, and harms of clinical guidelines. BMJ 1999; 318: 527-30.
9. Gabbay J, le May A. Evidence based guidelines or collectively constructed "mindlines?" Ethnographic study of knowledge management in primary care. BMJ 2004; 329: 1013.
10. Worrall G, Chaulk P, Freake D. The effects of clinical practice guidelines on patient outcomes in primary care: a systematic review. CMAJ 1997; 156: 1705-12.
11. Grimshaw J, Shirran L, Thomas R, et al. Changing provider behavior: an overview of systematic reviews of interventions. Med Care 2001; 39: II2-45.
12. Fertig A, Roland M, King H, et al. Understanding variation in rates of referral among general practitioners: are inappropriate referrals important and would guidelines help to reduce rates? BMJ 1993; 307: 1467-70.
13. Harbour R, Miller J. for the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network Grading Review Group. A new system for grading recommendations in evidence based guidelines. BMJ 2001; 323: 334-6.
14. NHS centre for reviews and dissemination. Undertaking systematic reviews of research on effectiveness: CRD's guidance for those carrying out or commissioning reviews, CRD report number 4 2nd edn. March 2001. York, UK: : University of York.
15. Thomas R, Grimshaw J, Mollison J, et al. Cluster randomized trial of a guidelinebased open access urological investigation service. Fam Pract 2003; 20: 646-54.
16. Morrison J, Carroll L, Twaddle S, et al. Pragmatic randomised controlled trial to evaluate guidelines for the management of infertility across the primary care-secondary care interface. BMJ 2001; 322: 1282-4.
17. Goldberg H, Deyo R, Taylor V, et al. Can evidence change the rate of back surgery? A randomized trial of community-based education. Eff Clin Pract 2001; 4: 95-104.
18. Fender G, Prentice A, Gorst T, et al. Randomised controlled trial of educational package on management of menorrhagia in primary care: the Anglia menorrhagia evaluation study. BMJ 1999; 318: 1246-50.
19. Emslie C, Grimshaw J, Templeton A. Do clinical guidelines improve general practice management and referral of infertile couples? BMJ 1993; 306: 1728-31.
20. Maddison P, Jones J, Breslin A, et al. Improved access and targeting of musculoskeletal services in northwest Wales: targeted early access to musculoskeletal services (TEAMS) programme. BMJ 2004; 329: 1325-7.
21. Benninger M, King F, Nichols R. Management guidelines for improvement of otolaryngology referrals from primary care physicians. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1995; 113: 446-52.
22. Rao J, Kroenke K, Mihaliak K, et al. Can guidelines impact the ordering of magnetic resonance imaging studies by primary care providers for low back pain? Am J Manag Care 2002; 8: 27-35.
23. Spatafora S, Canepa G, Migliari R, et al. Effects of a shared protocol between urologists and general practitioners on referral patterns and initial diagnostic management of men with lower urinary tract symptoms in Italy: the Prostate Destination study. BJU Int 2005; 95: 563-70.
24. Julian S, Naftalin N, Clark M, et al. An integrated care pathway for menorrhagia across the primary-secondary interface: patients' experience, clinical outcomes, and service utilisation. Qual Saf Health Care 2007; 16: 110-15.
25. Bradshaw C, McColl E, Pritchett C, et al. The south Tyneside FASTRAK service: evaluation of a new model for day surgery. Ambul Surg 1997; 5: 171-7.
26. Kumar B, Walsh R, Courteney-Harris R, et al. Direct listing' for tonsillectomy by general practitioners. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci 1998; 23: 91-2.
27. Collins M, Barry M, Bin L, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Practice patterns of primary care physicians. J Gen Intern Med 1997; 12: 224-9.
28. Friedlieb O. The impact of managed care on the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a preliminary report. Am J Med Qual 1994; 9: 24-9.
29. Rossignol M, Abenhaim L, Bonvalot Y, et al. Should the gap be filled between guidelines and actual practice for management of low back pain in primary care? The Quebec experience. Spine 1996; 21: 2893-8.
30. Bishop P, Wing P. Compliance with clinical practice guidelines in family physicians managing worker's compensation board patients with acute lower back pain. Spine J 2003; 3: 442-50.
31. Cerdan Carbonero M, Sanz L, Martinez R. Improving communication between levels of health care: direct referral of patients to a one-stop service for major outpatient surgery. Aten Primaria 2005; 35: 283-7.
32. Arroyo A, Andreu J, Garcia P, et al. [Analysis of a programme of direct referral between primary and specialist care in potential surgery patients]. Aten Primaria 2001; 28: 381-5.
33. Padilla L, Marchal E, Caballero A, et al. [Shared care in BPH. First national experience]. Actas Urol Esp. 1998; 22: 478-83.
34. Norg R, Portjegis P, van de Beek K, et al. A decision aid for GPs for the treatment of elderly male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) Fam Pract. 2006; 23: 666-73.
35. Rao C, Halsey J, Bukhart M, et al. Referrals to hospital based rheumatology and orthopaedic services: seeking direction. Rheumatology 2005: 44: 1332.
36. Lash S. Referrals for cataract and action on cataracts, evidence-based guidelines. Br J Gen Pract. 2005 December 1; 55: 965-6.
37. Fullen B, Maher T, Bury G, et al. Adherence of Irish general practitioners to European guidelines for acute low back pain: a prospective pilot study. Eur J Pain 2007; 11: 614-23.
38. Mays N, Pope C, Popay J. Systematically reviewing qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform management and policy-making in the health field. J Health Serv. Res Pol. 2005: S1: 6-20.