A Chart Audit Study of the Referral of Obese Patients to Endocrinologists

The aim of this study was to identify factors in primary care physicians' decisions to refer obese patients to an endocrine clinic. Charts of 83 referred obese patients were compared with randomly selected charts of 300 obese adults in the general ambula tory clinic files. The referral rate is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical decision making 1983-01, Vol.3 (1), p.69-79
Main Authors: Ravitch, Michael M., Rovner, David R., Jennett, Penny A., Rothert, Marilyn L., Holmes, Margaret M., Holzman, Gerald B., Elstein, Arthur S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Endocrine System Diseases - diagnosis
Female
Humans
Male
Medical Audit
Obesity - etiology
Probability
Referral and Consultation
Retrospective Studies
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Summary:The aim of this study was to identify factors in primary care physicians' decisions to refer obese patients to an endocrine clinic. Charts of 83 referred obese patients were compared with randomly selected charts of 300 obese adults in the general ambula tory clinic files. The referral rate is estimated at 1% of obese patients in the clinical center and 0.25% of obese persons in the Lansing area. Referral of obese patients appears to depend primarily on degree of obesity and secondarily on suspicion of endocrine disease. Considerations limiting the usefulness of patient charts for studies of physicians' decision making are discussed. (Med Decis Making 3:69-79, 1983)
ISSN:0272-989X
1552-681X
DOI:10.1177/0272989X8300300113