referral and consultation

referral and consultation

The sending of a patient to a respected and competent colleague for a second opinion, when the patient has a condition which the referring doctor regards as difficult to diagnose, manage or which is otherwise problematic.
It is imperative that competent specialists be used for referral and consultation (R&C)—if the consultant is proven incompetent, the referring physician shares in the liability for negligent acts committed by the consultant.
R&C should be sought when the diagnosis is difficult, the illness unfamiliar, complex, or fraught with complications, the patient doesn’t improve in a reasonable timespan, and/or at the patient’s request.