Urban Indian healthcare referral system: A qualitative exploration from the physicians' perspectives.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Indian healthcare system continues to remain unstructured leading to sub-optimal health outcomes, not just in rural but even in urban areas. While physicians play a crucial role in shaping treatment trajectories and managing the referral process, their perspective on the referral system has received very limited academic attention in India. This study attempts to understand the archetypical physician's referral mechanism and the factors influencing their referral practices. This study also highlights the challenges and possible solutions in operationalising an efficient referral process as suggested by the professionals.

Methods

In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with sixty-two physicians consisting of both general physicians and specialists from 1

SUBMITTER: Sagayam MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12677546 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature