Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department

Mazi Mohammed Mazi; Maryam Alenezi; Marwah Alshammari; Saja Alfulaij; Siham Alqarni; Latifah Yagob AlHussain; Nasser Sauod Alhwaymel; Renad Mohammed Abulaban; Rakan Ali Ayid Alkedm

doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

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Review Article
Online Published: 21 Oct 2024

IJMDC. 2024; 8(9): 2515-2520

doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department

Mazi Mohammed Mazi, Maryam Alenezi, Marwah Alshammari, Saja Alfulaij, Siham Alqarni, Latifah Yagob Alhussain, Nasser Sauod Alhwaymel, Renad Mohammed Abulaban, Rakan Ali Ayid Alkedm.

Abstract
Policymakers and healthcare planners have long been concerned with reducing the number of unnecessary referrals to emergency departments (EDs). This systematic review aimed to determine if referrals to hospital EDs by primary care physicians and family physicians were appropriate. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Search terms were developed through a limited search of the databases Medline, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Embase. Items published in English between 2009 and 2024 were considered. Both qualitative and quantitative research conducted in English, examining whether family doctors and primary healthcare (PHC) providers should refer patients to hospital emergency rooms, were included. Our study included six publications, covering a total of 8,081 patients. Medical complaints were the least common condition referred to emergency care, while musculoskeletal injuries were the most common. Other medical issues documented included skin and wound abscesses, and edema. Inadequate clinical documentation was the primary reason most referrals were deemed inappropriate, according to one study. Another study found a diagnostic correlation of more than 70% between PHC referrals to the emergency room and appropriate recommendations, with a referral rate exceeding 80%. The primary cause of inappropriate referrals was inadequate clinical documentation. Primary healthcare physicians referrals may result from difficult decisions regarding the necessity of admission and often require the use of ED services.

Key words: Emergency department; primary healthcare; family physicians; referral

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Pubmed Style

Mazi MM, Alenezi M, Alshammari M, Alfulaij S, Alqarni S, Alhussain LY, Alhwaymel NS, Abulaban RM, Alkedm RAA. Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. IJMDC. 2024; 8(9): 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Web Style

Mazi MM, Alenezi M, Alshammari M, Alfulaij S, Alqarni S, Alhussain LY, Alhwaymel NS, Abulaban RM, Alkedm RAA. Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=218330 [Access: July 03, 2025]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Mazi MM, Alenezi M, Alshammari M, Alfulaij S, Alqarni S, Alhussain LY, Alhwaymel NS, Abulaban RM, Alkedm RAA. Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. IJMDC. 2024; 8(9): 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Mazi MM, Alenezi M, Alshammari M, Alfulaij S, Alqarni S, Alhussain LY, Alhwaymel NS, Abulaban RM, Alkedm RAA. Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. IJMDC. (2024), [cited July 03, 2025]; 8(9): 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Harvard Style

Mazi, M. M., Alenezi, . M., Alshammari, . M., Alfulaij, . S., Alqarni, . S., Alhussain, . L. Y., Alhwaymel, . N. S., Abulaban, . R. M. & Alkedm, . R. A. A. (2024) Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. IJMDC, 8 (9), 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Turabian Style

Mazi, Mazi Mohammed, Maryam Alenezi, Marwah Alshammari, Saja Alfulaij, Siham Alqarni, Latifah Yagob Alhussain, Nasser Sauod Alhwaymel, Renad Mohammed Abulaban, and Rakan Ali Ayid Alkedm. 2024. Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 8 (9), 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

Chicago Style

Mazi, Mazi Mohammed, Maryam Alenezi, Marwah Alshammari, Saja Alfulaij, Siham Alqarni, Latifah Yagob Alhussain, Nasser Sauod Alhwaymel, Renad Mohammed Abulaban, and Rakan Ali Ayid Alkedm. "Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 8 (2024), 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Mazi, Mazi Mohammed, Maryam Alenezi, Marwah Alshammari, Saja Alfulaij, Siham Alqarni, Latifah Yagob Alhussain, Nasser Sauod Alhwaymel, Renad Mohammed Abulaban, and Rakan Ali Ayid Alkedm. "Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 8.9 (2024), 2515-2520. Print. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Mazi, M. M., Alenezi, . M., Alshammari, . M., Alfulaij, . S., Alqarni, . S., Alhussain, . L. Y., Alhwaymel, . N. S., Abulaban, . R. M. & Alkedm, . R. A. A. (2024) Adequacy of referrals made by primary health care professionals and family physicians to the emergency department. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 8 (9), 2515-2520. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1725273377

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