The referral process in health visiting

The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of referral as it emerged from an in-depth qualitative study of health visiting practice. The study was conducted using a grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Forty-five experienced health visitors were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews were tape recorded and later transcribed. A detailed analysis is presented of the processes involved in referring. This includes working up the client for referral, working up the agency, third party referrals, and issues of control in the referral process. The outcome of referral in terms of the effect on the client is also discussed. This paper makes a contribution to our understanding of the microprocesses in everyday health visiting practice.