title: General practitioner ENT referral audit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During 2009, there were 3.3 million outpatient attendances at outpatient clinics across Ireland. Up to 20 % of these are directed towards ENT services.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the compliance rate of general practitioners with the ICGP referral guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-hundred referrals received were compared to the ICGP standardised form and graded accordingly. Each referral letter was graded to a maximum of 37 points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average score recorded for referrals was 16/37. The referrer detail section scored the highest with a mean of 75.42 % (paediatric referrals) and 72.9 % (adult referrals). The clinical information provided demonstrated compliance rates of 34 % (paediatrics) and 35 % (adults). In total, only 32 letters made any reference to findings on examination. Both paediatric and adult referrals scored an average of 42 % when patients' details are considered.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates poor compliance rates with the introduced ICGP standardised referral form, which has implications for the accurate grading of referral letters received.
authors: The Adelaide and Meath, Incorporating the National Children's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, c.oosth@gmail.com.
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Oosthuizen
authors: D
authors: D
authors: McShane
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kinsella
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Conlon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D010036:Otolaryngology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*