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Evaluation of referrals from general practice to a neurological department.

BACKGROUND
The presence of neurological deficits as obtained from clinical examination increases the likelihood of detecting serious underlying brain disorders.


OBJECTIVES
In this study, we assessed the frequency of reported clinical neurological examination in patients referred to neurology.


METHODS
We consecutively evaluated referrals to a neurological centre during a 6-month period.


RESULTS
From a total of 716 patients, 377 (51%) had an examination reported in the referral letter. Clinical examinations were reported more often in patients with musculo-skeletal disorders compared with others, P = 0.0001. Examination was less likely to be reported in those with a history of disturbed consciousness.


CONCLUSION
By showing that only about half of the patients had an examination reported, the study demonstrates that the process of selecting those with a high priority for a secondary neurological service can be improved.