Danish hospitals rejected around 200,000 referrals from general practitioners last year, equal to one in seven referred patients. The doctors’ organization PLO warns that the practice delays diagnosis and treatment.
Hospitals turned down about 200,000 patients who had been referred by their own GP for a specialist examination, DR reports. That corresponds to one in seven referred patients. The figures were first published by the newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Before 2018, referrals from general practitioners were almost never rejected, according to Jyllands-Posten. Since then, the number of rejected referrals has risen sharply.
Rejections most often involve patients referred to psychiatric, neurological or medical departments. They also affect patients whom GPs want examined or treated for conditions such as arthritis or gastrointestinal disorders.
General practitioners also see referrals rejected in cases where they suspect serious illness, including cancer and heart disease. That can happen when the doctor cannot pinpoint where in the body the symptoms originate.
Why referrals are turned down
There can be several reasons for a rejection, according to DR’s account of the reporting. A referral may be judged as not specific enough, or it may not meet certain criteria set for the examination.
Health Minister Ida Auken of the Social Democrats commented on the figures to Jyllands-Posten. She described the many rejected referrals as a problem that unfortunately affects patients who end up being passed back and forth in the system.
Auken called for good cooperation on referrals between general practitioners and the hospitals. She did not announce new measures in the remarks reported by the newspaper.
The Organization of General Practitioners, known in Denmark as Praktiserende Lægers Organisation, has criticized the development. Chairman Jørgen Skadborg warns of a risk of delayed examination and treatment for patients.
Skadborg told Jyllands-Posten that legislation is needed to stop what he called the hospitals’ massive rejections. He said the rejections harm patients and delay their diagnosis and treatment.
