Communication between primary and
secondary health care relies primarily on referral
tickets. They determine how patients’ details are
conveyed and hence the quality of care. The aim
of this study was to assess the quality of referral
tickets at the Surgical Outpatients at Mater Dei
Hospital in Malta and to develop
recommendations for improvement. Consecutive
referral tickets between the 7th February and 4th
March 2015 were prospectively included in the
study and analysed for completeness. The data was
entered into a proforma which was revised after
the first ten entries. A total of 351 referral tickets
were included in the study. Names and surnames
were present in all reports and identification
number in 99.42% of cases. 44.16% of referrals
were inappropriate according to clinical details.
The majority of the forms had a history of
presenting complaint (98.29%) while the past
history, drug history / allergies and examination
findings were available in 69.23%, 67.81% and
76.64% respectively. The source of referral was
not clear in 56.13%. Only 69.23% of all referral
tickets were completely legible while 30.77% were
partly legible. This study shows the need for an
overhaul in the referral system. Recommendations
include the use of electronic referrals and the
introduction of feedback letters by hospital
specialists.peer-reviewe