Multiple Referrals Research Articles

Clinical Pathological Approach to Polyps of the Colon

Elements of its lumen from the areas of the mucosa or submucosa are called colon polyps. Colon polyps major implications of malignancy. Multiple colorectal referrals are made for evaluation of polyp or polypoid evaluations. Detection excision is the most important step in the prevention of malignancy and histopathological evaluation of colon polyps. Colon polyps are divided into two groups as non-neoplastic and neoplastic. They include hyperplastic polyps as non-neoplastic polyps, while the majority of neoplastic polyps are adenomatous polyps. Adenomatopolyps are transitional as tubular-tubulevous-villi. The incidence is tubular (65-80%), tubulovillous (10-25%) and villous (5-15%) adenomas. This is on the right track of diagnoses. In this product, clinical disease limits are emphasized in polyps.

Quality and timeliness of emergency obstetric care and its association with maternal outcome in Keren Hospital, Eritrea

Despite the critical role quality comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC) plays in ensuring safe motherhood, only a few studies have attempted to measure the impact of substandard and delayed care on maternal outcome thus far. This study evaluates the association between various process and timeliness indicators of CEmOC and adverse maternal outcome in Keren Hospital. This study compared women with potentially life-threatening condition (PLTC) and women with severe maternal outcome (SMO) with respect to various process and timeliness indicators. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the association of timeliness and process indicators with SMO using SPSS version-22 computer software. In this study, we included 491 cases of PLTC and 210 cases of SMO (171 maternal near misses and 39 maternal deaths). The following process indicators showed significant association with SMO: failure to give uterotonics for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, failure to administer prophylactic antibiotics, and delayed laporatomy for uterine rupture. Moreover, delays in referral, triaging, seeing an obstetrician, and receiving definitive treatement were strongly associated with SMO. The following causes of delay were also found to be independently associated with SMO: erroneous diagnosis, inappropriate management, multiple referrals between health facilities, unavailability of a senior obstetrician, and poor communication during referral. Among the miscellaneous factors, nighttime admission and referral during the rainy season showed significant association with SMO. Findings of this study indicate that huge gap exists in providing quality and timely care in Keren Hospital. In general, most incidents of substandard and delayed care were due to poor referral system, insufficiency of medical staff, inadequacy of drugs and equipment, and unavailability of standard management protocol. Improving the referral system, upgrading the technical skills of health professionals, making sure life-saving drugs and equipment are available all the time, and posting standard treatment and management protocols in the maternity and emergency rooms will play a vital role in reducing the occurrence of SMO in Keren Hospital.

Collaborative Care Expands Reach to Racial/Ethnic Minority Patients

Collaborative Care Expands Reach to Racial/Ethnic Minority Patients

Patterns, travel to care and factors influencing obstetric referral: Evidence from Nigeria's most urbanised state

The criticality of referral makes it imperative to study its patterns and factors influencing it at a health systems level. This study of referral in Lagos, Nigeria is based on health records of 4181 pregnant women who presented with obstetric emergencies at one of the 24 comprehensive emergency obstetric care (EmOC) facilities in the state between November 2018 and October 2019 complemented with distance and time data extracted from Google Maps. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. About a quarter of pregnant women who presented with obstetric emergencies were referred. Most referrals were from primary health centres (41.9 %), private (23.5 %) and public (16.2 %) hospitals. Apart from the expected low-level to high-level referral pattern, there were other patterns observed including non-formal, multiple, and post-delivery referrals. Travel time and distance to facilities that could provide needed care increased two-fold on account of referrals compared to scenarios of going directly to the final facility, mostly travelling to these facilities by private cars/taxis (72.8 %). Prolonged/obstructed labour was the commonest obstetric indication for referral, with majority of referred pregnant women delivered via caesarean section (52.9 %). After adjustment, being married, not being registered for antenatal care at facility of care, presenting at night or with a foetus in distress increased the odds of referral. However, parity, presentation in the months following the commissioning of a new comprehensive EmOC facility or with abortion reduced the likelihood of being referred. Our findings underscore the need for health systems strengthening interventions that support women during referral and the importance of antenatal care and early booking to aid identification of potential pregnancy complications whilst establishing robust birth preparedness plans that can minimise the need for referral in the event of emergencies. Indeed, there are context-specific influences that need to be addressed if effective referral systems are to be designed.

The COVID-19 Self-Testing through Rapid Network Distribution (C-STRAND) trial: A randomized controlled trial to increase COVID-19 testing in underserved populations

BackgroundWidely available population testing is critical to public health efforts to control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, COVID-19 testing has been low in underserved communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. One approach to increase testing rates is through the secondary distribution of self-collection kits, where an individual distributes test kits to contacts in their social network and encourages them to self-collect test specimens. We outline a randomized clinical trial, COVID-19 Self-testing Through Rapid Network Distribution (C-STRAND), and a cohort study of individuals with COVID-19, to determine the impact of a secondary distribution strategy on COVID-19 testing among medically underserved populations.MethodsThe clinical trial will seek to enroll 1048 adult index participants from federally health qualified centers in Philadelphia, PA seeking COVID-19 testing. Eligible participants will be randomized 1:1 to receive multiple self-collection test kits or multiple referrals for standard clinic-based tests to distribute to contacts within their social network. The primary outcome will be testing among at least two network contacts at 8 weeks. Index participants and network contacts who test positive for COVID-19 from C-STRAND will be eligible to join the COVID-19 Close Contact Self-testing Study (CloseST), assessing the secondary distribution of self-collection test kits among individuals with COVID-19. The primary outcome of this cohort will be the number of close contacts who test positive at 8 weeks.ConclusionNovel strategies to promote COVID-19 testing are necessary, particularly among underserved populations most affected by COVID-19. We will determine the efficacy of a self-testing secondary distribution strategy. The results may inform efforts to increase testing rates during the current pandemic.

Review of referrals reveal the impact of referral content on the triage and management of ophthalmology wait lists

ObjectivesMany chronic eye conditions are managed within public hospital ophthalmology clinics resulting in encumbered wait lists. Integrated care schemes can increase system capacity. In order to direct implementation of a...

The microeconomics of abortion: A scoping review and analysis of the economic consequences for abortion care-seekers.

The economic consequences of abortion care and abortion policies for individuals occur directly and indirectly. We lack synthesis of the economic costs, impacts, benefit or value of abortion care at the micro-level (i.e., individuals and households). This scoping review examines the microeconomic costs, benefits and consequences of abortion care and policies. Searches were conducted in eight electronic databases and applied inclusion/exclusion criteria using the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews. For inclusion, studies must have examined at least one of the following outcomes: costs, impacts, benefits, and value of abortion care or abortion policies. Quantitative and qualitative data were extracted for descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Of the 230 included microeconomic studies, costs are the most frequently reported microeconomic outcome (n = 180), followed by impacts (n = 84), benefits (n = 39), and values (n = 26). Individual-level costs of abortion-related care have implications for the timing and type of care sought, globally. In contexts requiring multiple referrals or follow-up visits, these costs are multiplied. The ways in which people pay for abortion-related costs are diverse. The intersection between micro-level costs and delay(s) to abortion-related care is substantial. Individuals forego other costs and expenditures, or are pushed further into debt and/or poverty, in order to fund abortion-related care. The evidence base on the economic impacts of policy or law change is from high-income countries, dominated by studies from the United States. Delays underpinned by economic factors can thwart care-seeking, affect the type of care sought, and impact the gestational age at which care is sought or reached. The evidence base includes little evidence on the micro-level costs for adolescents. Specific sub-groups of abortion care-seekers (transgendered and/or disabled people) are absent from the evidence and it is likely that they may experience higher direct and indirect costs because they may experience greater barriers to abortion care.

Understanding factors associated with re-referral of youth for commercial sexual exploitation

BackgroundSince the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2000 in the United States, awareness has increased about the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Moreover, United States Federal law calls upon child welfare agencies to establish policies and practices that help identify and provide services to minors at risk of CSEC. Although awareness has increased about the problem of CSEC, little attention has been paid to understanding why some youths are re-referred to CSEC programs after initial referral and intervention. ObjectiveThe present study examines which factors drive re-referrals of youths for CSEC concerns. Participants and settingData about a population of high-risk youths (n = 416) referred to a CSEC-specific program in the Northeast of the United States between 2011 and 2018. MethodsUsing logistic regression analyses, we investigate what factors are associated with youth having multiple referrals. ResultsYouths with multiple referrals were more likely to have histories of missing from care (OR = 2.996, p < 0.001), substance misuse (OR = 2.802, p < 0.01), and greater agency involvement (OR = 1.260, p < 0.05). However, youths with multiple referrals were not at heightened risk of CSEC as compared to youths that were not re-referred. ConclusionThe results demonstrate that re-referred youths meet the profile of a victim as depicted on screening and assessment instruments, which has important implications for victim services and referral systems dedicated to identifying CSEC and protecting youths who may experience re-victimization for CSEC.

Why women die after reaching the hospital: a qualitative critical incident analysis of the ‘third delay’ in postconflict northern Uganda

ObjectivesTo critically explore and describe the pathways that women who require emergency obstetrics and newborn care (EmONC) go through and to understand the delays in accessing EmONC after reaching a...

100% human milk diet: an integral part of nutrition management in NICU: PAN India neonatologist’s survey

Background: Exclusive human milk diet (EHMD) benefits preterm infants the most, particularly in neonatal intensive care unit. EHMD is dependent on multiple factors consisting of breastfeeding awareness, availability of pasteurized donor human milk, functioning human milk banks and infrastructure. Neonatal nutritional practice varies considerably in India. The aim of this survey was to understand the implementation and benefits of 100% human milk diet through human milk derived nutritional products in preterm infants from NICU experts’ perspective.Methods: The online survey questionnaire formulated and reviewed by the expert neonatologists was shared with the NICU experts pan India through multiple communication channels and referrals. The survey was constructed on the Google Forms platform, the responses was collected between May 2020 to July 2020.Results: A total of 100 neonatologists responded to the survey from 79 hospitals and 31 cities across India. All the respondents (100%) opined that EHMD is important for preterm infants, 15% opined that EHMD was ensured to all preterm infants, 80% opined that human milk-based fortifier (HMBF) was safe and well tolerated by premature infants, 17% reported that 51-80% of preterm infants experience feed intolerance issues with bovine milk based fortifiers (BMBF), blood urea nitrogen (49%) was chosen as an optimal biochemical parameter for assessing protein utilization in NICU, 93% opined that post discharge nutritional supplementation is required for preterm infants among which 49% respondents opined that HMBF and human milk 70 calorie sachet would be preferable as post discharge nutritional supplementation.Conclusions: EHMD unequivocally offers multiple benefits to preterm infants and hence needs to be included in the NICU protocol, availability of human milk derived nutritional products such as HMBF are termed safe and well tolerated and would aid in implementing EHMD in NICUs. Pasteurized donor human milk is vital for ensuring EHMD, thus access to the same needs to be empowered by strengthening the human milk donation and awareness measures.

Women's Experiences of Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome.

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experience of interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome (PBS). A phenomenological approach with emphasis on reflection and openness was adopted. Twenty women diagnosed with IC an average of nine years prior to data collection produced a written account of their experiences. The textual data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes were derived from data analysis: diagnostic uncertainty; restrictions and limitations on life; self-management; and interpersonal relationships and social support. Women reported issues in receiving a diagnosis of IC, undergoing numerous diagnostic tests, and experiencing multiple referrals. Having undergone numerous treatments with limited success, women sought information and management strategies outside of standard medical care and reported a negative impact on sexual and social relationships. The findings illustrate the complex nature of women’s experiences and the physical and psychological impacts and effects of IC/PBS on women’s daily lives.

The Evolution in Recognition of Land Rights in India: A Study of Legislations Pertaining to Acquisition of Land

The land is one of the most coveted assets in India, which also makes it the most disputed. And fragmented laws and lack of awareness of existing regulations do not help in any way. In the context of land law, the states have their own unique set of laws pertaining to the acquisition, possession, and sale of land. The land has an interesting history in India. Beginning with purely commercial interests, India’s land laws have evolved over time, albeit slowly, to include the interests of individual owners. But we still have a ways to go. It was in 1894, that the first Land Acquisition Act enacted by the British Government of India, which forms the basis for all land laws today came into being. It applied to all states in India except for Mysore, Hyderabad, and Travancore, the princely states that had the right to exercise their own land laws. In 1947, India adopted the Land Acquisition Act and enforced it across “all the provinces of India” without exception. After languishing in the Parliament for many years, passing through multiple referrals and calls for amendments, the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, (LARR) 2011 was introduced again by the UPA government. In 2013, it was passed and became effective from 2014. The bill focused on bringing in more transparency by underlining the rights of the people who stood to lose land during the process of acquisition.

Preparing for a new era in chronic cough management.

Chronic cough, defined as cough lasting 8 weeks or more in adults, accounts for approximately 16 million outpatient visits per year. Chronic cough exerts a significant burden on the quality of life of patients, which is often why they initially seek treatment. Various factors have contributed to the high cost associated with the burden of chronic cough, from multiple referrals and unnecessary repeat testing to polypharmacy and development of comorbidities due to lack of proper treatment. Although treatment guidelines for chronic cough are available, they vary in their recommendations. There are no FDA-approved agents indicated specifically for chronic cough at this time, but medications such as inhaled corticosteroids and narcotic antitussives are frequently used for treatment, while speech and behavioral therapy have also been potential options. New targeted therapies in the clinical pipeline are expected to expand the treatment landscape and meet the unaddressed gaps for safe and efficacious agents that can provide relief and better management for patients. Access to appropriate care based on clinical guidelines is associated with favorable outcomes. Managed care organizations should consider treatment guidelines, patient factors, and emerging pharmacologic as well as nonpharmacologic treatment options to create a streamlined approach to managing chronic cough treatment in an evidence-based and cost-effective manner.

Programmatic determinants of successful referral to health and social services for orphans and vulnerable children: A longitudinal study in Tanzania.

BackgroundTrained community workers (CWs) successfully deliver health and social services, especially due to greater community acceptance. Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caregivers (CG) often need support from several sectors. We identified CW, program and referral characteristics that were associated with success of referrals provided to OVC and their CG in Tanzania in a cross-sectoral bi-directional referral system.MethodsData for this secondary analysis come from the first two years (2017–2018) of the USAID funded Kizazi Kipya project. Referral success was defined as feedback and service received within 90 days post-referral provision. We analyzed factors that are associated with the referral success of HIV related, education, nutrition, parenting, household economic strengthening, and child protection services among OVC and CG, using generalized estimating equations.ResultsDuring the study period, 19,502 CWs in 68 councils provided 146,996 referrals to 132,640 beneficiaries. OVC had much lower referral success for HIV related services (48.1%) than CG (81.2%). Adjusted for other covariates, CW age (26–49 versus 18–25 years, for OVC aOR = 0.83, 95%CI (0.78, 0.87) and CW gender (males versus females, for OVC aOR = 1.12, 95%CI (1.08, 1.16); CG aOR = 0.84, 95%CI (0.78, 0.90)) were associated with referral success. CWs who had worked > 1 year in the project (aOR = 1.52, 95%CI 1.46, 1.58) and those with previous work experience as CW (aOR = 1.57, 95%CI (1.42, 1.74) more successfully referred OVC. Referrals provided to OVC for all other services were more successful compared to HIV referrals, with aORs ranging from 2.99 to 7.22. Longer project duration in the district council was associated with increased referral success for OVC (aOR = 1.16 per month 95%CI 1.15,1.17), but decreased for CG (aOR = 0.96, 95%CI 0.94, 0.97). Referral success was higher for OVC and CGs with multiple (versus single) referrals provided within the past 30 days (aOR = 1.28 95%CI 1.21, 1.36) and (aOR = 1.17, 95%CI (1.06, 1.30)) respectively.ConclusionCW characteristics, referral type and project maturity had different and often contrasting associations with referral success for OVC versus for CG. These findings could help policymakers decide on the recruitment and allocation of CWs in community based multi-sectoral intervention programs to improve referral successes especially for OVC.

How can we improve specialist health services for children with multi-referrals? Parent reported experience

BackgroundChildren with combined mental and somatic conditions pose a challenge to specialized health services. These cases are often characterized by multi-referrals, frequent use of health services, poor clinical and cost effectiveness, and a lack of coordination and consistency in the care. Reorganizing the health services offered to these children seems warranted. Patient reported experiences give important evidence for evaluating and developing health services. The aim of the present descriptive study was to explore how to improve specialist health services for children with multiple referrals for somatic and mental health conditions. Based on parent reported experiences of health services, we attempted to identify key areas of improvement.MethodsAs part of a larger, ongoing project; “Transitioning patients’ Trajectories”, we asked parents of children with multiple referrals to both somatic and mental health departments to provide their experiences with the services their children received. Parents/guardians of 250 children aged 6–12 years with multi-referrals to the Departments of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Mental Health at Haukeland University Hospital between 2013 and 2015 were invited. Their experience was collected through a 14 items questionnaire based on a generic questionnaire supplied with questions from parents and health personnel. Possible associations between overall experience and possible predictors were analyzed using bivariate regression.ResultsOf the 250 parents invited, 148 (59%) responded. Mean scores on single items ranged from 3.18 to 4.42 on a 1–5 scale, where five is the best possible experience. In the multiple regression model, perception of wait time (r = .56, CI = .44–.69 / β = 0.16, CI = .05–.28), accommodation of consultations (r = .71, CI = .62–.80 / β = 0.25, CI = .06–.45 / β = 0.27, CI = .09–.44), providing adequate information about the following treatment (r = .66, CI = .55–.77 / β = 0.26, CI = .09–.43), and collaboration between different departments at the hospital (r = .68, CI = .57–.78 / β = 0.20, CI = -.01–.40) were all statistically significantly associated with parents overall experience of care.ConclusionsThe study support tailored interdisciplinary innovations targeting wait time, accommodation of consultations, communication regarding the following treatment and collaboration within specialist health services for children with multi-referrals to somatic and mental specialist health care services.

Insights into the Clinical Management of Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections: An Italian Retrospective Clinical Chart Review

There is a lack of consensus regarding management of infections with carbapenem- resistant Gram-negative (CR-GN) pathogens. This study comprised a medical chart review to assess patient management in a high CR prevalence setting. Data was collated retrospectively from medical records of patients hospitalized between November 1st, 2015 and October 31st, 2016. Of 29 patients, 66% had respiratory tract infections. Median duration of hospitalization was 28 days and ~50% of patients were admitted to the intensive care unit, with 77% remaining for >2 weeks. Median time to obtain respiratory culture results was 5 days. Isolation of patients with diagnosed CR-GN infection took ≥5 days in >50% of patients. A majority (76%) of patients received ≥1 antibiotic before providing a specimen for culture; a total of 17 antibiotic treatments were used. Overall, 72% of patients, and 68% of those with respiratory infections, were discharged alive; 38% were discharged without further antibiotics. The difficulties in achieving effective management in patients with CR-GN infections are largely due to complex co-morbidities, a history of prior antibiotic treatment, and multiple referrals across health care facilities.

Complex care pathways for children with multiple referrals demonstrated in a retrospective population-based study.

To identify children with complex medical needs by examining their patterns of hospital care. We conducted a retrospective population-based study on 18577 patients aged 6-12years from the Haukeland University Hospital register over a 3-year period (from 2013 to 2015). Data were structured to examine the temporal patterns and sequences of referrals, care episodes and diagnoses, including flowacross medical specialties. Over a third of patients had repeated referrals, and 14.9% of all had three or more. Furthermore, 9.3% of patients were referred to both somatic and mental healthcare services. Patients with such combined referrals had a higher number of referrals as well as a higher number of different diagnoses. Overall, there was a high frequency of non-specific diagnoses, and 34.8% of patients still had a non-specific main diagnosis at the end of their hospital contact. This study demonstrates an increased risk for complex care pathways in children with multiple referrals. Interdisciplinary patterns of referrals were relatively common, particularly for patients in mental health care. These findings highlight the importance of developing interdisciplinary-based approaches for patients with complex complaints.

41 Using Patient Centred Care to Redesign Integrated Discharge Services in Derby

Abstract Background Discharge to Assess as outlined by the Department of Health was adopted in Derby in 2016. Previously the discharge pathways to community settings from the acute trust were complex. Challenges included: Operating from a traditional residential care home.No integration of community health staff and social care teams leading to delays in treatment and decision making as well as multiple referrals and hand-overs and no joint communication which was confusing for patients.Stakeholder anticipation of 6 weeks length of stay.Limited responsiveness to capacity demand within planned and unplanned community physiotherapy.Changing the culture and mind-set of staff.Different health and social care processes and procedures, IT systems, working patterns, contracts and pay scales. Methods A new service model, joint processes and standard operating procedures was developed with the patient at the centre of the design. Trusted assessment and information sharing reduce multiple assessments and hand overs, ensuring a smoother and improved patient experience. Outcomes Triage of patients from the Integrated Discharge Hub to the appropriate pathway, early discharge planning, board rounds and MDT's and timely assessments combined with an enablement ethos have increased the flow of patients through the service, decreased care package hours and increased capacity through reducing both length of stay and delayed transfers of care. The health and social care teams are now delivering fully integrated care and undertaking joint training. This has led to a reduction in treatment times from 20 days to 12 days, reductions in DTOC to average of 8 days per month and improved access to community based routine therapy from 85% of referrals being seen by 6 weeks 2017-18 to 99% in 2018-19. Conclusions The integrated service delivers more for less resulting in significant savings in the healthcare and social care system while maintaining quality standards and outcomes.

Obstetric fistula in southern Mozambique: a qualitative study on women\u2019s experiences of care pregnancy, delivery and post-partum

BackgroundObstetric fistula is still common in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) despite the on-going shift to increased facility deliveries in the same settings. The social behavioural circumstances in which fistula, as well as its consequences, still occur are poorly documented, particularly from the perspective of the experiences of women with obstetric fistula. This study sought to describe women’s experiences of antenatal, partum and post-partum care in southern Mozambique, and to pinpoint those experiences that are unique to women with fistula in order to understand the care-seeking and care provision circumstances which could have been modified to avoid or mitigate the onset or consequences of fistula.MethodsThis study took place in Maputo and Gaza provinces, southern Mozambique, in 2016–2017. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews conducted with 14 women with positive diagnoses of fistula and an equal number of women without fistula. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim prior to thematic analysis using NVivo11.ResultsStudy participants had all attended antenatal care (ANC) visits and had prepared for a facility birth. Prolonged or obstructed labour, multiple referrals, and delays in receiving secondary and tertiary health care were common among the discourses of women with fistula. The term “fistula” was rarely known among participants, but the condition (referred to as “loss of water” or “illness of spillage”) was recognised after being prompted on its signs and symptoms. Women with fistula were invariably aware of the links between fistula and poor birth assistance, in contrast with those without fistula, who blamed the condition on women’s physiological and behavioural characteristics.ConclusionAlthough women do seek antenatal and peri-partum care in health facilities, deficiencies and delays in birth assistance, referral and life-saving interventions were commonly reported by women with fistula. Furthermore, weaknesses in quality of care, not only in relation to prevention, but also the resolution of the damage, were evident. Quality improvement of birth care is necessary, both at primary and referral level. There is a need to increase awareness and develop guidelines for prevention, early detection and management of obstetric fistula, including early postpartum treatment, availability of fistula repair for complex cases, and rehabilitation, coupled with the promotion of community consciousness of the problem.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Adherence to Referrals From the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Outpatient referrals constitute a critical component of emergency medical care. However, barriers to care after emergency department (ED) visits have not been investigated thoroughly. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sociodemographic variables on referral attendance after ED visits. A retrospective cohort study was designed. Patients aged 0-17years who visited the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital ED in 2016 and received a referral were included. Multiple referrals for 1 patient were counted as independent encounters for statistical analysis. Chart review was performed on 6120 pediatric ED encounters, producing a total of 822 referrals to University of Michigan Health System outpatient clinics. Referral attendance did not differ by race, ethnicity, language, or religion. Older age was associated with decreased attendance at referrals (p=0.043). Patients who were black and female (p=0.019), patients with public health insurance (p=0.004), and patients residing in areas with either high rates of unemployment (p=0.003), or lower high school education rates (p=0.006) demonstrated decreased attendance. Patients referred to pediatric neurology had lower attendance rates (p<0.001), and those referred to pediatric orthopedic surgery attended referrals more often (p=0.006). This study provides an overview of the impact of sociodemographic and departmental factors on attendance at outpatient follow-up referrals. Significant disparities exist with respect to referral attendance after emergency medical care. Informed resource allocation may be utilized to improve care for these at-risk patient populations.