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GP referral to an eating disorder service: why the wide variation?

GP referral to an eating disorder service: why the wide variation?
GP referral to an eating disorder service: why the wide variation?
BACKGROUND: Early detection and management of patients with eating disorders is thought to improve prognosis, yet little is known about the factors associated with referral of these patients to treatment centres. AIM: To calculate general practitioner (GP) referral rates to a specialist eating disorder service and determine the association between referral rate and general practice and practitioner factors. METHOD: Referral rate was calculated from a database of routine referrals to St George's Hospital Eating Disorder Service from January 1990 to May 1996 and correlated with practice and practitioner details obtained from medical directories and health authority data. RESULTS: There was a wide variation in referral rates. A higher referral rate was found to be associated with practice size, proximity to the clinic, female GPs, GPs having the MRCGP qualification, being United Kingdom qualified, and offering full contraceptive services. Fundholding was associated with lower rates of referral. CONCLUSION: Patients with eating disorders may be at a disadvantage in certain practices. Educational interventions could be targeted towards low referrals
treatment, psychiatry, patients, family, general practice, economics, sex factors, adolescent, eating, adult, humans, referral and consultation, statistics & numerical data, general-practice, prognosis, eating disorders, referral, disorders, referrals, epidemiology, female, gps, physicians, middle aged, health, male, london, disorder, services, diagnosis, education, great britain, physician's practice patterns, therapy, health services accessibility
0960-1643
380-383
Hugo, Pippa
b6f0c5ec-0ba9-401a-b62c-dd8b02e0c46b
Kendrick, Tony
c697a72c-c698-469d-8ac2-f00df40583e5
Reid, Fiona
358b38d5-3836-476e-b968-fff76c8964a4
Lacey, Hubert
56f22edb-b81a-4063-a2f0-72017603f5c3
Hugo, Pippa
b6f0c5ec-0ba9-401a-b62c-dd8b02e0c46b
Kendrick, Tony
c697a72c-c698-469d-8ac2-f00df40583e5
Reid, Fiona
358b38d5-3836-476e-b968-fff76c8964a4
Lacey, Hubert
56f22edb-b81a-4063-a2f0-72017603f5c3

Hugo, Pippa, Kendrick, Tony, Reid, Fiona and Lacey, Hubert (2000) GP referral to an eating disorder service: why the wide variation? British Journal of General Practice, 50 (454), 380-383.

Record type: Article

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Early detection and management of patients with eating disorders is thought to improve prognosis, yet little is known about the factors associated with referral of these patients to treatment centres. AIM: To calculate general practitioner (GP) referral rates to a specialist eating disorder service and determine the association between referral rate and general practice and practitioner factors. METHOD: Referral rate was calculated from a database of routine referrals to St George's Hospital Eating Disorder Service from January 1990 to May 1996 and correlated with practice and practitioner details obtained from medical directories and health authority data. RESULTS: There was a wide variation in referral rates. A higher referral rate was found to be associated with practice size, proximity to the clinic, female GPs, GPs having the MRCGP qualification, being United Kingdom qualified, and offering full contraceptive services. Fundholding was associated with lower rates of referral. CONCLUSION: Patients with eating disorders may be at a disadvantage in certain practices. Educational interventions could be targeted towards low referrals

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More information

Published date: May 2000
Keywords: treatment, psychiatry, patients, family, general practice, economics, sex factors, adolescent, eating, adult, humans, referral and consultation, statistics & numerical data, general-practice, prognosis, eating disorders, referral, disorders, referrals, epidemiology, female, gps, physicians, middle aged, health, male, london, disorder, services, diagnosis, education, great britain, physician's practice patterns, therapy, health services accessibility

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 61818
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/61818
ISSN: 0960-1643
PURE UUID: 50e1c48e-876f-435b-893b-e48802e5f508
ORCID for Tony Kendrick: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1618-9381

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 10 Sep 2008
Last modified: 09 Jan 2022 02:57

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Contributors

Author: Pippa Hugo
Author: Tony Kendrick ORCID iD
Author: Fiona Reid
Author: Hubert Lacey

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