High rate of inappropriate referrals to pediatric orthopedics in an egalitarian healthcare system

George C. Balazs*, Ronald B. Doria, Bobby G. Yow, Ashley B. Anderson, Syed I. Ahmed, Jefferson W. Jex

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies have shown relatively high rates of inappropriate referrals to pediatric orthopedic surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of inappropriate referrals in an egalitarian healthcare system. We reviewed all 400 referrals to our pediatric orthopedic surgery practice over a 2-year period and assessed the appropriateness of each based on the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines. A total 206 (52%) referrals were deemed appropriate. There is a high rate of inappropriate referral to pediatric orthopedic surgery even within a closed, egalitarian healthcare system. Targeted education of primary care providers may help reduce this rate.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)509-513
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Pediatric Orthopaedics Part B
Volume28
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • pediatric orthopedics
  • referral
  • workforce utilization

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