Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital
Introduction: An effective referral system is crucial for a high-quality health system that provides safe medical care. Aim and Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the appropriateness and adequacies of information in the referral letters of patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective study...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.npmj.org/article.asp?issn=1117-1936;year=2023;volume=30;issue=2;spage=156;epage=160;aulast=Ojewola |
| _version_ | 1797775430828163072 |
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| author | Rufus Wale Ojewola Kehinde Habeeb Tijani Jamiu Oyedele Hassan Chike John Okeke Opeoluwa Jesuyemi Akinyemi |
| author_facet | Rufus Wale Ojewola Kehinde Habeeb Tijani Jamiu Oyedele Hassan Chike John Okeke Opeoluwa Jesuyemi Akinyemi |
| author_sort | Rufus Wale Ojewola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: An effective referral system is crucial for a high-quality health system that provides safe medical care. Aim and Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the appropriateness and adequacies of information in the referral letters of patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of referral letters of all new patients in the urology clinic. Information retrieved was socio-demographic characteristics, source of referral and presence or absence of important information in their letters. We compared the information provided to the new history taken to determine the appropriateness and adequacy using different domains of medical history. Referrals were adjudged appropriate if the diagnosis is urologic, while any referral lacking relevant information is adjudged inadequate. The results were displayed using the simple proportions in tables and charts. Results: A total of 1188 referrals were reviewed. There were 997 (83.9%) males and 191 (16.1%) females. Referrals from private hospitals were the most common in 627 (52.8%) cases. Of all new referrals, 1165 (98.1%) were adjudged to be appropriate, while 23 (1.9%) were inappropriately referred. Referrals from teaching hospitals had higher proportions of good-quality referrals than those from primary healthcare and private centres. The most common deficiencies were the lack of documentation of relevant examination findings (37.8%) and provisional diagnosis (21.4%). The majority, 956 (80.5%), of letters were narrative in nature, whereas 232 (19.5%) were structured. Structured letters were found to be more informative. Conclusion: A significant percentage of referral letters lacked completeness in many key areas. We recommend the use of structured forms or template letters to improve the quality of referrals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:35:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-939f1932dd114f52a4c39eb112ee622f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1117-1936 2468-6875 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:35:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-939f1932dd114f52a4c39eb112ee622f2023-07-21T12:57:01ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsNigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal1117-19362468-68752023-01-0130215616010.4103/npmj.npmj_16_23Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospitalRufus Wale OjewolaKehinde Habeeb TijaniJamiu Oyedele HassanChike John OkekeOpeoluwa Jesuyemi AkinyemiIntroduction: An effective referral system is crucial for a high-quality health system that provides safe medical care. Aim and Objectives: This study aimed at evaluating the appropriateness and adequacies of information in the referral letters of patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective study of referral letters of all new patients in the urology clinic. Information retrieved was socio-demographic characteristics, source of referral and presence or absence of important information in their letters. We compared the information provided to the new history taken to determine the appropriateness and adequacy using different domains of medical history. Referrals were adjudged appropriate if the diagnosis is urologic, while any referral lacking relevant information is adjudged inadequate. The results were displayed using the simple proportions in tables and charts. Results: A total of 1188 referrals were reviewed. There were 997 (83.9%) males and 191 (16.1%) females. Referrals from private hospitals were the most common in 627 (52.8%) cases. Of all new referrals, 1165 (98.1%) were adjudged to be appropriate, while 23 (1.9%) were inappropriately referred. Referrals from teaching hospitals had higher proportions of good-quality referrals than those from primary healthcare and private centres. The most common deficiencies were the lack of documentation of relevant examination findings (37.8%) and provisional diagnosis (21.4%). The majority, 956 (80.5%), of letters were narrative in nature, whereas 232 (19.5%) were structured. Structured letters were found to be more informative. Conclusion: A significant percentage of referral letters lacked completeness in many key areas. We recommend the use of structured forms or template letters to improve the quality of referrals.http://www.npmj.org/article.asp?issn=1117-1936;year=2023;volume=30;issue=2;spage=156;epage=160;aulast=Ojewolaadequateappropriatenessinadequatequalityreferral letter |
| spellingShingle | Rufus Wale Ojewola Kehinde Habeeb Tijani Jamiu Oyedele Hassan Chike John Okeke Opeoluwa Jesuyemi Akinyemi Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal adequate appropriateness inadequate quality referral letter |
| title | Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital |
| title_full | Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital |
| title_fullStr | Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital |
| title_short | Quality and appropriateness of uro-surgical referrals at a Nigerian teaching hospital |
| title_sort | quality and appropriateness of uro surgical referrals at a nigerian teaching hospital |
| topic | adequate appropriateness inadequate quality referral letter |
| url | http://www.npmj.org/article.asp?issn=1117-1936;year=2023;volume=30;issue=2;spage=156;epage=160;aulast=Ojewola |
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