Week 6 - Service Delivery
Session 2 - Levels of Care: Referral Pathways
- Spark Questions
- Session summary and reflection
- Learning Outcome
Spark Questions
What are the different levels of care within the health service?
- Primary care
- Secondary care
- Tertiary care
- Quaternary care
Session summary and reflection
- People can be referred to either Level of care
- Equity and access is one of the challenges of challenges affecting referral
Main Challenges Affecting Referral from Patients’ Point of View:
- Awareness and Decision-making: Difficulty in recognizing severe symptoms and knowing when to seek care.
- Access Issues: Limited access to primary care due to financial constraints, lack of transportation, and long distances to clinics.
- Barriers at Clinics: Long waiting times and negative staff attitudes can discourage patients from seeking timely care.
Main Challenges Affecting Referral from Providers’ Point of View:
- Communication: Ensuring that referral letters convey accurate, urgent information to facilitate smooth transitions between care levels.
- Ambulance Delays: Ambulances are often delayed, especially in rural areas, impacting timely transfers.
- Logistics and Infrastructure: Managing complex logistics, including transportation for non-urgent cases, can create significant delays and frustrations in the referral process.
Learning Outcome - Levels of Care: Referral Pathways
Identify the referral pathways through the levels of care
- Primary Care: Patients begin at community-based services (e.g., local clinics, GPs, or traditional healers).
- Secondary Care: If primary care is insufficient, patients are referred to district or referral hospitals staffed with specialists.
- Tertiary and Quaternary Care: For complex cases requiring advanced care, patients are referred to tertiary hospitals or central hospitals equipped with specialized teams and technology.
Identify some of the challenges and complexities with the referral system through the levels of care
- Access and Awareness: Patients may not recognize when they need care or face difficulties accessing primary care due to distance, cost, or awareness gaps.
- Resource Limitations: Primary care facilities often lack adequate staff, equipment, and infrastructure, creating bottlenecks and limiting effective care.
- Communication Breakdowns: Referral letters may lack sufficient detail or urgency, hindering proper care coordination.
- Transport Delays: Ambulance response times, particularly in rural areas, often fail to meet targets, delaying critical patient transfers.
- Logistical Constraints: Long journeys and limited accommodations for non-urgent cases needing specialist care add complexity and strain to the system