Factors influencing General Practitioner referral patterns to Orthopaedic Surgeons in the Australian Health Care setting: an on-line survey

Aim: To use the member database of e-healthspace.com.au to identify and quantify the factors that influence General Practitioners when referring patients to a particular Orthopaedic Surgeon Method: On line Survey of 9495 General practitioners who are registered on www.ehealthspace.com.au Seven point Likert scale used to rank responses from extremely positive to extremely negative to various factors that influence decisions to refer patients to an Orthopaedic Surgeon Questions: 5 Broad Categories Professional and personal reputation / Communication / Style of practice / Promotional activities / Access and cost Results: 476 respondents. 407 proceeded beyond the demographic questions. Demographic Questions: Practice location Length of time in practice. Conclusion: The preferred referral surgeon for General Practitioners is Affable Able Available Some things have not changed……….