Repeated re-referral: perspectives and experiences
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Repeated re-referral: perspectives and experiences of interested parties in the decision to refer to musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy
IRAS ID
195941
Contact name
Daniel Kerr
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 30 days
Research summary
The study is a qualitative design incorporating focus groups within three different populations.
It follows two previous studies by this group; a review of the literature, and a quantitative study from a Trust patient database in Northern Ireland.This study supplements the quantitative piece, which has been granted full ethical approval, but also is justified as a study in its own right.
The quantitative study identified a sizable population of patients with multiple referrals to musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy in a fixed time-span across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) - a cohort of patients that need to be investigated further to see how they are managed in the healthcare system. Data collection from the NHSCT database and patient records enabled statistical analysis and description of the numbers involved in order to build up a picture Trust-wide of this patient group.
However, it is known, from our review of the literature that there are a number of factors actively influencing the decision to refer, among them the relationship between each of the three parties; GPs (the referrers in this setting), the therapists, and the patients themselves.
The study will involve focus groups in each party: physiotherapists, patients, and GPs, concerning the respective experiences of, insights into, and possible explanations for the repeated referrals, along with influences on the decision to continue to refer.
Three focus groups of each of the patient and physiotherapist populations will take place, along with one GP focus group, and the transcriptions analysed and presented with a view to publishing, with participant names concealed.REC name
North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0372
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion