Comparison of self-referred and physician-referred patients to a pediatric diagnostic center - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

Comparison of self-referred and physician-referred patients to a pediatric diagnostic center

S A Beebe et al. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1993 Jul.

Abstract

Self-referral of children by parents without the knowledge of the child's regular physician can lead to redundant or unnecessary testing and difficulty in arranging follow-up care. This study was designed to investigate reasons for self-referral in a hospital-based pediatric diagnostic center. During the study period, 59 patients were referred by their regular physicians and 51 were self-referred. In multiple-choice questionnaires completed by 85% of the parents, nearly half (18/39; 46%) of those who were self-referred but only 2/51 (4%) of physician-referred parents said the child's regular physician was unconcerned about the medical problem. Further study on the causes for this perception is needed before recommendations can be made to physicians about demonstrating their concern to families.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources