Direct listing' for tonsillectomy by general practitioners.
The aim of this prospective study was to determine the suitability of 'direct listing' of patients for tonsillectomy by their General Practitioner. All General Practitioners were issued guidelines outlining the indications and contraindications for direct listing. One hundred consecutive patients, referred over a 6-month period, were screened by an otolaryngologist. Thirty-three of these patients were referred inappropriately. The high rate of inappropriate referrals would suggest that this is an unacceptable practice.
Kumar
B N
BN
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust, Stoke on Trent, UK. 106343.3102@compuserve.com
Walsh
R M
RM
Courteney-Harris
R G
RG
Wilson
P S
PS
Carlin
W V
WV
D000075202:Contraindications; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013222:State Medicine; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014850:Waiting Lists