Australian Journal of Primary Health
Volume 24, Issue 2, 2018, Pages 123-129

Enhancing general practice referrals for women of refugee background to maternity care (Article)

Vanpraag D. , Dawson W. , Bell B. , Riggs E. , Szwarc J. , Brown S. , Furler J. , Casey S. , Teale G. , Yelland J.*
  • a Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
  • b Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
  • c Sunshine Hospital, Western Health, Furlong Road, St Albans, VIC 3021, Australia
  • d Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia, Department General Practice, University of MelbourneVIC 3010, Australia
  • e Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, 6 Gardiner Street, Brunswick, VIC 3056, Australia
  • f Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia, Department General Practice, University of MelbourneVIC 3010, Australia, Department of Paediatrics, University of MelbourneVIC 3010, Australia
  • g Department General Practice, University of MelbourneVIC 3010, Australia
  • h Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture, 6 Gardiner Street, Brunswick, VIC 3056, Australia
  • i Sunshine Hospital, Western Health, Furlong Road, St Albans, VIC 3021, Australia
  • j Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia, Department General Practice, University of MelbourneVIC 3010, Australia

Abstract

This paper presents the findings from a quality improvement project implemented by a maternity hospital located in a region of high refugee settlement. The project was designed to improve the completeness of general practice referral information to enable triage to maternity care that would best meet the needs of women of refugee background. Referral information included four data items-country of birth, year of arrival in Australia, language spoken and interpreter required-used in combination to provide a proxy measure of refugee background. A communication strategy and professional development activity engaged general practitioners (GPs) in the rationale for collecting the four data items on a new referral form. Audits of referrals to the maternity hospital before, and at two time points following the quality improvement activity, indicated that very few referrals were completed on the new form. There were modest improvements in the recording of two items-country of birth and interpreter required. Overall, two-thirds of referrals did not contain information on interpreter requirements. Changing practice will require a more cohesive approach involving GPs in the co-design of the form and development of the quality improvement strategy. © La Trobe University.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

general practice professional development Quality Improvement maternal care total quality management refugee Australia human Refugees general practitioner language Hospitals, Maternity Humans female patient referral Referral and Consultation pregnancy refugee camp standards Article adult human experiment emergency health service hospital
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85045506388&doi=10.1071%2fPY17105&partnerID=40&md5=b85bef293649387b34976070db5255df
DOI: 10.1071/PY17105
ISSN: 14487527
Original Language: English