Electronic medical referral system: A forum-based approach

Abstract

In the medical field, it is common practice for physicians to refer to and consult one another to complete patients' medical treatment. The transfer of a patient from one physician to another is termed a referral. Medical referrals are not straightforward; a successful referral requires finding an available physician with the proper specialty. The focus of this paper is to understand the workflow of the referral process in Canada's public healthcare system, and propose a health informatics system to move the referral process into electronic form. The solution involves a forum-based approach that provides a common communication medium for healthcare professionals involved in the referral process.