Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study
Background: Efficient consultation-liaison referrals to psychiatrists are essential in a multidisciplinary healthcare setting to optimise care, reduce unnecessary costs and bridge the treatment gap in mental health. Aims: The aim of this study is to analytically assess the quality and to identify de...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/npmj.npmj_56_25 |
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| author | Sunday O. Oriji Justus U. Onu Obumneme K. Nwiyi Chijioke Chimbo Paul O. Erohubie Ihechiluru G. Anozie Anthony C. Enebe Richard Uwakwe |
| author_facet | Sunday O. Oriji Justus U. Onu Obumneme K. Nwiyi Chijioke Chimbo Paul O. Erohubie Ihechiluru G. Anozie Anthony C. Enebe Richard Uwakwe |
| author_sort | Sunday O. Oriji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background:
Efficient consultation-liaison referrals to psychiatrists are essential in a multidisciplinary healthcare setting to optimise care, reduce unnecessary costs and bridge the treatment gap in mental health.
Aims:
The aim of this study is to analytically assess the quality and to identify deficiencies of consultation–liaison referrals from various medical specialties to psychiatry in a teaching hospital in Nigeria.
Methods:
A retrospective review of 263 in-hospital referral letters to the Psychiatry Department from January 2022 to April 2024 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, was conducted. Referrals addressed to clinical psychologists were excluded. An adapted ‘Consultation and Referral Request Letter Assessment Tool’ was utilised to assess the quality of referrals, which was then categorised into ‘poor’, ‘fair’ and ‘good’.
Results:
The mean patient age was 40.68 years, with a balanced gender distribution. The study demonstrated that only 4.9% of the letters lacked a referral reason. Timing and urgency indicators were lacking in over 95% of the letters, and ongoing treatment information was absent in 77.2% of referrals. Notably, a quarter (25.1%) of the referral letters were objectively rated as poor in quality. The perceived usefulness of the referrals was significantly associated with the objectively assessed quality of the referrals (P = 0.01).
Conclusion:
This audit highlights substantial deficiencies in referral letters to psychiatric services, which could complicate efficient triaging. There is a pressing need for a standardised referral template and education to enhance the quality of medical referrals, thus improving patient outcomes and resource utilisation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bc0691d7b5c440d482e3de2d1cb8bddc |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1117-1936 2468-6875 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-bc0691d7b5c440d482e3de2d1cb8bddc2025-08-20T03:07:27ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsNigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal1117-19362468-68752025-04-01322929610.4103/npmj.npmj_56_25Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective StudySunday O. OrijiJustus U. OnuObumneme K. NwiyiChijioke ChimboPaul O. ErohubieIhechiluru G. AnozieAnthony C. EnebeRichard UwakweBackground: Efficient consultation-liaison referrals to psychiatrists are essential in a multidisciplinary healthcare setting to optimise care, reduce unnecessary costs and bridge the treatment gap in mental health. Aims: The aim of this study is to analytically assess the quality and to identify deficiencies of consultation–liaison referrals from various medical specialties to psychiatry in a teaching hospital in Nigeria. Methods: A retrospective review of 263 in-hospital referral letters to the Psychiatry Department from January 2022 to April 2024 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, was conducted. Referrals addressed to clinical psychologists were excluded. An adapted ‘Consultation and Referral Request Letter Assessment Tool’ was utilised to assess the quality of referrals, which was then categorised into ‘poor’, ‘fair’ and ‘good’. Results: The mean patient age was 40.68 years, with a balanced gender distribution. The study demonstrated that only 4.9% of the letters lacked a referral reason. Timing and urgency indicators were lacking in over 95% of the letters, and ongoing treatment information was absent in 77.2% of referrals. Notably, a quarter (25.1%) of the referral letters were objectively rated as poor in quality. The perceived usefulness of the referrals was significantly associated with the objectively assessed quality of the referrals (P = 0.01). Conclusion: This audit highlights substantial deficiencies in referral letters to psychiatric services, which could complicate efficient triaging. There is a pressing need for a standardised referral template and education to enhance the quality of medical referrals, thus improving patient outcomes and resource utilisation.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/npmj.npmj_56_25consultation-liaisonconsultspsychiatryqualityreferrals |
| spellingShingle | Sunday O. Oriji Justus U. Onu Obumneme K. Nwiyi Chijioke Chimbo Paul O. Erohubie Ihechiluru G. Anozie Anthony C. Enebe Richard Uwakwe Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal consultation-liaison consults psychiatry quality referrals |
| title | Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study |
| title_full | Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study |
| title_fullStr | Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study |
| title_short | Quality of Consultation-liaison Referrals to the Psychiatry Department in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Study |
| title_sort | quality of consultation liaison referrals to the psychiatry department in a nigerian teaching hospital a retrospective study |
| topic | consultation-liaison consults psychiatry quality referrals |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/npmj.npmj_56_25 |
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