Improving resident doctor referrals to specialties: a 5-year evaluation of a centralised referrals sheet.

ABSTRACT: Referrals are a fundamental part of working life for a resident doctor, where an efficient system is needed when liaising with different specialties. Within a secondary care district general hospital, a lack of standardised protocols was recognised, which can lead to delays in patient care. The aim of this project was to improve knowledge and confidence among resident doctors when referring to specialties. A baseline study highlighted a lack of confidence among resident doctors, often relying on other colleagues when referring to each specialty. Our team created a comprehensive referrals sheet, through a series of plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles across a 5-year period, from 2019 to 2024. This referrals sheet described routine, urgent and out-of-hours referrals pathways for each specialty a

SUBMITTER: Yim S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12766790 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature