“A Web-based system allowing general practitioners to confer with specialists regarding patients with skin conditions may reduce referrals to dermatologists by approximately 20 percent, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“In Western countries, health services face increasing pressures because of the aging population and patients’ increasing demands for evaluation by specialists,” the authors write as background information in the article. “The demand results in increased referral to specialists and longer waiting times for appointments. This has led to a debate regarding the appropriateness of referrals and what treatment general practitioners should be able to provide before referral. Improved communication between general practitioners and specialists leads to lower referral rates.”
Article
Medical News Today, 21 May 2009
