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Views of general practitioners and head and neck surgeons on the referral system for suspected cancer: A survey

Views of general practitioners and head and neck surgeons on the referral system for suspected cancer: A survey
Views of general practitioners and head and neck surgeons on the referral system for suspected cancer: A survey

The two-week wait referral system for suspected cancer was introduced in the National Health Service in 2000. This study aimed to identify areas for improvement to the two-week wait system by seeking the opinions of doctors working in primary and secondary care. Method: A questionnaire was distributed to general practitioners and head and neck surgeons within North West England with ethical consent. Results: Twenty-seven general practitioners and 15 head and neck surgeons responded. Of the general practitioners, 59.3 per cent declared that they never attend training on referrals in this specialty. Overall, 59.3 per cent of general practitioners and 86.7 per cent of head and neck surgeons felt that the two-week wait system could be improved. Conclusion: The main areas for further work are development of pre-referral communication between primary and secondary care along with development of practical educational measures for general practitioners.

Gatekeeping, Interdisciplinary Communication, Interprofessional Relations, Neoplasm, Primary Care, Secondary Care, Teaching
0022-2151
893-897
Bethell, G. S.
c7a62cc1-5573-41f6-ae00-3c11e8219dd4
Leftwick, P.
5523189a-61c0-46e7-940a-dcdf62e9ed98
Bethell, G. S.
c7a62cc1-5573-41f6-ae00-3c11e8219dd4
Leftwick, P.
5523189a-61c0-46e7-940a-dcdf62e9ed98

Bethell, G. S. and Leftwick, P. (2015) Views of general practitioners and head and neck surgeons on the referral system for suspected cancer: A survey. Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 129 (9), 893-897. (doi:10.1017/S0022215115001723).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The two-week wait referral system for suspected cancer was introduced in the National Health Service in 2000. This study aimed to identify areas for improvement to the two-week wait system by seeking the opinions of doctors working in primary and secondary care. Method: A questionnaire was distributed to general practitioners and head and neck surgeons within North West England with ethical consent. Results: Twenty-seven general practitioners and 15 head and neck surgeons responded. Of the general practitioners, 59.3 per cent declared that they never attend training on referrals in this specialty. Overall, 59.3 per cent of general practitioners and 86.7 per cent of head and neck surgeons felt that the two-week wait system could be improved. Conclusion: The main areas for further work are development of pre-referral communication between primary and secondary care along with development of practical educational measures for general practitioners.

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More information

Published date: 28 August 2015
Additional Information: Publisher Copyright: © 2015 JLO (1984) Limited.
Keywords: Gatekeeping, Interdisciplinary Communication, Interprofessional Relations, Neoplasm, Primary Care, Secondary Care, Teaching

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 483498
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/483498
ISSN: 0022-2151
PURE UUID: 2b55a6e5-a777-4b12-956c-f8af772df276
ORCID for G. S. Bethell: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1302-0735

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Date deposited: 31 Oct 2023 18:24
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:09

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Contributors

Author: G. S. Bethell ORCID iD
Author: P. Leftwick

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