'In-house' referrals : a primary care alternative to immediate secondary care referrals.

ISRCTN	ISRCTN60533639
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN60533639
Secondary identifying numbers	PSI06-24

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Prof Paul Kinnersley
Scientific

Department of General Practice
University of Wales College of Medicine
Llanedeyrn Health Centre
Maelfa
Cardiff
CF23 9PN
United Kingdom

Phone	+44 (0)29 2054 1133
Email	Kinnersley@cf.ac.uk

Study design	Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design	Randomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)	GP practice
Study type	Other
Scientific title
Study objectives	Methods are needed to ensure that those patients referred from primary to secondary care are those most likely to benefit. In-house referral is the referral of a patient by a general practitioner to another general practitioner within the same practice for a second opinion on the need for secondary care referral. To describe whether in-house referral is practical and acceptable to patients, and the health outcomes for patients.
Ethics approval(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Not applicable
Intervention	Practices were randomized into an intervention or a control group. In intervention practices, patients with certain conditions who were about to be referred to secondary care were referred in-house. If the second clinician agreed referral was appropriate the patient was referred on to secondary care. In control practices patients were referred in the usual fashion. Patient satisfaction and health status was measured at the time of referral, 6 months and one year.
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure	1. Health status: SF 36 2. Patient Satisfaction: Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (MISS)
Secondary outcome measures	Not provided at time of registration
Overall study start date	01/04/1995
Completion date	01/04/1997

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Other
Sex	Both
Target number of participants	Not provided at time of registration
Key inclusion criteria	Patients judged to need hospital referral by their general practitioners. In the intervention practices, these patients were initially referred 'in-house' to another GP in the same practice. In control practices, patients were referred directly to hospital.
Key exclusion criteria	Does not match inclusion criteria
Date of first enrolment	01/04/1995
Date of final enrolment	01/04/1997

Department of General Practice

Cardiff
CF23 9PN
United Kingdom

Record Provided by the NHS R&D 'Time-Limited' National Programme Register - Department of Health (UK)
Government

The Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NL
United Kingdom

Website	http://www.doh.gov.uk

Government

NHS Primary and Secondary Care Interface National Research and Development Programme (UK)

No information available

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination plan	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Results article	results	01/01/1998		Yes	No
Results article	results	01/12/1999		Yes	No