Quality improvement of referrals to a department of restorative dentistry following the use of a referral proforma by referring dental practitioners

AIM: To assess the quality improvement of new patient referrals to a restorative department comparing a standard referral proforma and a normal referral letter. DESIGN: A prospective analysis of a consecutive sample of all referral letters and replied proforma until a total of 100 had been achieved. METHOD: The study covered the period from November 2000 to June 2001. Once the letters and corresponding proforma were matched, they were compared for data capture and hence quality. RESULTS: There was an increase in 29.3% of information provided. Specific categories of data showed high increases such as patient's telephone number, relevant medical history, treatment already given, recorded signs and symptoms, urgency of the referral and whether treatment or advice was requested. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the quality of restorative referral increased with the use of a referral proforma.