title: Teaching referral skills to medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Referrals are an important and frequent part of a junior doctor's work. Difficulty with making successful referrals is also very common. Despite this, training in referral skills is not routinely carried out in medical schools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We designed and delivered a 1-h interactive lecture to final year medical students to teach referral skills. The lecture was delivered on six occasions to up to 70 students at each session. 191 students attended and provided evaluation. 68% of students had no previous training in referral skills and 99% felt that referral skills should be included in the undergraduate curriculum. 90% reported that the lecture had improved their understanding of referral techniques and 83 and 80% felt that the lecture had improved their ability and confidence, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Referral skills can be successfully taught in a large group lecture setting. We recommend that the teaching of referral skills is incorporated into all medical schools' curricula.
authors: Department of Post Graduate Medical and Dental Education, King's College NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK. victoriabradley1@nhs.net.
authors: Victoria
authors: V
authors: Bradley
authors: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK. benjamin.whitelaw@nhs.net.
authors: Benjamin C
authors: BC
authors: Whitelaw
authors: Royal Surrey County Hospital, Egerton Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XX, UK. danlindfield@nhs.net.
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Lindfield
authors: GKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, Henriette Raphael Building, London, SE1 1UL, UK. richard.phillips@kcl.ac.uk.
authors: Richard J W
authors: RJ
authors: Phillips
authors: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK. corinnetrim@nhs.net.
authors: Corinne
authors: C
authors: Trim
authors: Emergency Medicine, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, SE5 9RS, UK. tj.lasoye@nhs.net.
authors: T A
authors: TA
authors: Lasoye
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013337:Students, Medical