Patient referral from the emergency unit of the Til-Til Hospital to the referral centers of the northern healthcare area (2004-2005)

Abstract

There are situations in which a physician must refer patients attending the Emergency Unit to other facilities to undergo procedures or perform ancillary studies unavailable at their rural healthcare center.

The purpose of the present communication is to assess the reasons for such referrals from the Emergency Unit of the Til-Til Hospital to various referral centers and to propose initiatives to decrease sanitary costs and improve the quality of healthcare at the rural centers.   

Total cross-consultations (CC) carried out between October 2004 and March 2005 were analyzed The following variables were registered and analyzed: patient age and gender, center and specialty unit of origin and reason for referral.

A total of 820 CC was accounted, with a mean of 136 CC per month. The Hospital San José was the primary Referral Center, followed by the Hospital Roberto del Río. Adult patients were primarily referred to the Orthopedic Surgery and Radiology Services. Pediatric patients were mainly referred to the General Pediatric Consultation and secondly to the Orthopedic Surgery and General Surgery.

The most common reason for referral was the need for ancillary tests (urine, and blood testings or imaging analyses: chest and/or bone simple X-rays). The high costs involved in patient transportation from the Til-Til location to the Referral Centers, warrant having the equipment required to perform basic laboratory testings and another emergency radiology equipment available at the rural hospital of origin.