Table 1

General requirements for referral letters, according to the Norwegian national referral guidelines, including the frequency of reporting in this study

Referral informationN (%)
Administrative information (patient, GP, referral institution)325 (99.4)
Referral diagnosis319 (97.6)
Type of referral (examination, workup, advice)/expected action313 (95.7)
Urgency of referral58 (17.7)
Critical information68 (20.8)
 Allergies/infectious disease66 (20.2)
 Other ongoing critical diseases and treatments6 (1.8)
Personal information181 (55.4)
 Family history of disease94 (28.7)
 Social history (work, school, family, living)122 (37.3)
 Alcohol and tobacco history60 (18.3)
Previous medical history259 (79.2)
History of the current disease327 (100.0)
Findings267 (81.7)
 Clinical examination164 (50.2)
 Laboratory workup173 (53.9)
 Radiology/other119 (36.4)
Current medicines271 (82.9)
Patient informed of referral0
Total referral letters327
  • GP, general practitioner.