The Psychiatric patient, the general practitioner, and the outpatient clinic: an operational study and a review

Abstract

SYNOPSIS: A sample of general practitioner referrals to a Psychiatric teaching centre was investigated by means of standard interviews, first with the practitioners and subsequently with the patients. Hospital treatment and disposal were examined in the light of the doctors' reasons for referral, and of the expectations which they and the patients had held of the hospital service. The findings are related to previous work in this field, and the implications for service planning discussed.