PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - J A French AU - C H Stevenson AU - J Eglinton AU - J E Bailey TI - Effect of information about waiting lists on referral patterns of general practitioners. DP - 1990 May 01 TA - British Journal of General Practice PG - 186--189 VI - 40 IP - 334 4099 - http://bjgp.org/content/40/334/186.short 4100 - http://bjgp.org/content/40/334/186.full SO - Br J Gen Pract1990 May 01; 40 AB - In a two year trial general practitioners in the West Midlands were provided with extended waiting time information for hospital consultation and treatment in general surgery. Selected general practitioners were sent monthly bulletins on comparative times to wait for both outpatient appointment and inpatient treatment throughout the region. Their referrals to consultant general surgeons were monitored, alongside those of a matched control group not receiving such information. Differences were found between the two groups which indicate the willingness of general practitioners to change their referral practice when adequate information is available. In addition, patients referred to their local hospital had longer waiting times than patients matched for clinical condition and district of origin who were sent to hospitals where it was indicated that a shorter wait might be expected.