Do rhinology care pathways in primary care influence the quality of referrals to secondary care?

Abstract

AbstractBackground:Chronic sinusitis is the most common routine presentation for a general ENT surgeon. The 2007 ‘Primary Care Guidelines: European Position Paper on the Primary Care Diagnosis and Management of Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps’ aimed to deliver evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and management of rhinosinusitis in specialist and primary care.Objective:The aim of this audit was to assess the information provided in the referral letters to the ENT department regarding patients with potential rhinosinusitis, and compare this to the information required for the rhinology care pathways.Method:We evaluated one month of referrals to the ENT department.Results:The quality of information in the referral letters was poor. Only 22 per cent of patient referrals included basic information about symptoms, duration and treatment.Conclusion:We plan to investigate why general practitioners are not complying with the pathway. In addition, the pathways will be more widely disseminated via the ‘Map of Medicine’ (an online resource for general practitioners). This should facilitate the receipt of the best evidence-based treatment for patients prior to referral to secondary care.