Aim :To determine who refers patients to a facial pain service, to assess the quality of the referral letters. MethodThe source of all referral letters to the service for 5 years were established. For one year the information provided in 94 referrals was assessed. Using a predetermined checklist of essential information the referral letters were compared to these set criteria. Results:The service received > 1000 referrals annually and on average GDPs referred 303 more patients per year than GMPs. 71% of all referrals were from primary care practitioners, the rest from specialists. Over 70% of GMP and 52% of GDP letters included a past medical history, with GMPs more likely to suggest a possible diagnosis and include previous secondary care referrals. The mean score for GMP referrals compared to the standard proforma (max 12) was 5.6 and for GDP referrals 5.0. A relevant drug history was included by 75.6% GMP compared to 38.7% of GDPs. GMPs were more likely to include any relevant mental health history. Conclusions:The overall quality of referral letters is low. If referrals were only accepted from GMPs, potentially improved management of patients would ensue.
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