Background: Delays or failure to complete a dermatologic referral may affect health care outcomes. Factors associated with these delays remain understudied.
Objective: This study investigated socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with delays or failure to complete dermatology referrals and potential impact on surgical outcomes.
Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for 400 patients internally referred to an academic dermatology center from 19 primary-care clinics from July 2018 to June 2019. Only patients referred after an in-person primary-care visit in which the provider documented a specific concerning lesion were included. Multivariate analyses were performed to explore variables associated with delays or failure to complete dermatology referrals.
Results: Patients were more likely to complete their referral if they had a personal history (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 7.843, 95% CI 1.383-14.304) or family history (aOR = 11.307, 95% CI 2.344-20.27) of skin cancer. Patients were more likely to delay referral completion past 30 days if they were ages 18 to 34 (aOR = 6.665, 95% CI 1.285-12.044) and less likely to delay referral past 30 days if they had a previous history of skin cancer (aOR = 0.531, 95% CI 0.181-0.882).
Limitations: Single institution, retrospective study, limited surgical patients.
Conclusion: Understanding factors associated with delays in dermatology referral completion can help identify at-risk patient populations.
Copyright © 2023 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.