Interdepartmental dermatology: Characteristics and impact of dermatology inpatient referrals at a teaching hospital in Eastern India

Background: Dermatology is primarily considered to be an outpatient-centered specialty. However, several inpatient admissions to other specialties require dermatologic consultation for optimum management. Aims: To analyze the causes of inpatient dermatology referrals, departments sending referrals,...

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Published inIndian journal of dermatology Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 29 - 32
Main Authors Chowdhury, Satyendra, Podder, Indrasish, Saha, Abanti, Bandyopadhyay, Debabrata
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published India Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2017
Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd
Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd
Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd
Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
Subjects
Dermatologic agents
Dermatology
inpatient
Original
referral
Teaching hospitals
India
Dermatology
inpatient
referral
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Summary:Background: Dermatology is primarily considered to be an outpatient-centered specialty. However, several inpatient admissions to other specialties require dermatologic consultation for optimum management. Aims: To analyze the causes of inpatient dermatology referrals, departments sending referrals, and impact of dermatology consultation on patient management. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study by analyzing the records of 486 patient referrals over a 4-year period. The demographic details, specialties requesting consultation, cause of referral, and dermatological advice have been recorded and analyzed. Results: Dermatology consultation changed the dermatologic diagnosis and treatment of almost two-thirds of patients. General medicine requested the maximum number of referrals, "skin rash" being the most common cause for referral. Accurate diagnosis on referrals was provided by only 30.2% of nondermatologists. Common dermatological disorders were often misdiagnosed by these physicians, and dermatology referrals had significant impact on the diagnosis and subsequent management of these patients. Conclusion: While dermatologic referral leads to improved patient care, there is a need for better training of nondermatologists enabling them to recognize and treat common dermatoses.
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ISSN:0019-5154
1998-3611
DOI:10.4103/0019-5154.198044