title: Understanding the Process of Medical Referral: Part 4: Accessibility of consultants.
abstract: Family physicians cannot always refer patients to the consultant they choose. They must often trade off familiarity and trust against time and location. Factors limiting access include geographic maldistribution, the trend to specialization, busy specialist practices, and specialists' career patterns. The mutual trust and respect essential to successful referral can be undermined when physicians are forced to shop around.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Muzzin