What do Cardiovascular patients think about their referrals?

Abstract

Introduction: The referral process from primary to secondary care establishes the basis for subsequent care in chronic conditions. The aim of the study was to describe patient perceptions of the information in the Ticket of Referral (TOR) using cardiovascular referrals as an exemplar. Methods: Consecutive cardiovascular referrals to MCC and Cardiology Outpatients were invited to participate anonymously in a brief semi-structured audio-recorded interview (Aug-Sep 2014). They ranked fields in the TOR on a scale of1(essential) to 4 (should not be included), and identified the three most/least important fields. They indicated whether other information was required, and whether the inclusion of a checklist of cardiovascular risk factors would be helpful. Data was entered into Excel and analysed with descriptive statistics, ranking and content analysis. Results: 53 patients were invited, three declined; most participants were over 50 years, 50% male, 50% female. Fields scored highly included 'Current treatment and allergies' and 'Clinical examination findings'; low scores were awarded to 'Next of kin,' 'telephone' and 'mobile' numbers'. The most important fields identified were 'Identity card number' and 'Reasons for referral'. Patient contact details including 'telephone number' and 'address' were identified as least important. Most patients did not consider other information was required; however, 96% considered it would be helpful to include cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusion: 'ID number', and 'Reasons for referral' were identified as most important, with 'Current treatment and allergies' and 'clinical findings' highly scored. Patients considered the inclusion of relevant risk factors could be useful which may be helpful for self-care.