Primary care physicians' perspectives on the referral of patients with social problems to non-medical services - a cross-sectional survey

Introduction Physicians in primary care practices encounter social problems among their patients on a daily basis. Physicians can refer these patients to social services to improve their health and reduce pressure on the health care system. Open questions remain about how these referral practices are carried out and what areas have potential for improvement. Method An online survey with 21 closed or open-ended questions was conducted among primary care physicians (general practitioners and paediatricians) in Bremen, Germany. Data from closed questions were analysed for frequency distributions, while responses to open-ended questions were coded and interpreted using qualitative content analysis. Results Out of 580 primary care physicians in Bremen, 45 (8%) participated in the survey. Most of the respondents considered it important to be able to refer patients to support services outside the medical care system. Physicians referred a median of 10% of patients for whom they identified a need for social support. The most common reasons for not referring patients included a lack of knowledge about available services or the absence of such services, as well as time constraints. A total of 33 physicians (73%) reported feeling highly burdened when unable to refer patients. Furthermore, 34 respondents (76%) anticipated that a central contact point for social issues would greatly improve their job satisfaction. More general practitioners than paediatricians considered support services related to finances, unemployment, and housing to be important, while paediatricians were more open to providing external social support services in their own practices or using a "Gesundheitskiosk" (health kiosk). Conclusion This is the first study to compare general practitioners and paediatricians regarding social issues in patient care. Given the low response rate, the results should be interpreted with caution. Notably, physicians reported that they did not refer most patients with identified social needs and experienced this as a burden. The majority indicated that, if available, they would use various forms of collaboration with social services.