Pattern of referral rate to secondary health care in University Medical Center : a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Primary health care acts as the initial point of contact between individuals, families, and the healthcare system, making healthcare easily accessible in the areas where people live and work. Many healthcare systems emphasize the relationship between primary and secondary care, with primary care physicians delivering primary health care (PHC) and identifying patients in need of secondary healthcare. Consequently, strengthening the primary healthcare sector is essential for enhancing both the accessibility and quality of healthcare.to fill the gaps in health infrastructure, a sound referral system is essential. The provision of care services to patients by general practitioners in outpatient university clinics is associated with several challenges, necessitating the referral of patients to specialty clinics for secondary and expert care. The reasons and rates of referral to the specialty clinics differ depending on the patient\'s condition and general practitioners\' competencyTypes of healthcare settings, such as residential care, influenced the patterns of referral to secondary care. Family and resident general practitioners displayed different patterns and rates of referral of their clients.