ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the willingness of rehabilitation patients within an urban medical group to accept downward referrals and analyze the influencing factors. MethodsFrom June to October, 2023, a survey was conducted using a simple random sampling method among neurological and orthopedic rehabilitation patients in hospitals within a specific urban medical group. The 2013 version of the Andersen Model was employed to construct a theoretical framework for the willingness of rehabilitation patients to accept downward referrals and influencing factors. Within this framework, a questionnaire was designed using a 5-point Likert scale, comprising three sections including personal characteristics, environmental features and healthcare service utilization choices, totaling 23 questions. A preliminary survey was conducted, and the questionnaire had underwent reliability and validity testing. ResultsA total of 350 questionnaires were collected, with 314 valid questionnaires. The willingness of rehabilitation patients to accept downward referrals was found to be associated with age, rehabilitation specialties, rehabilitation phases, previous experiences with downward referrals, awareness of and perceptions regarding bidirectional referral policies, and understanding and opinions about the urban medical group (χ2 > 7.755, P < 0.05). The primary influencing factors were rehabilitation specialties, rehabilitation phases, previous experiences with downward referrals and perceptions of the necessity of bidirectional referral policies (P < 0.05). ConclusionRehabilitation specialties, rehabilitation phases, previous experiences with downward referrals and perceptions of the necessity of bidirectional referral policies are the primary factors that influenced the willingness of rehabilitation patients to accept downward referrals. We should formulate targeted and focused improvement measures based on the specific circumstances and key influencing factors of rehabilitation patients within the urban medical group regarding their willingness to accept downward referrals. Continuously enhancing the proportion of patients willingness to accept downward referrals is essential for the effective implementation of bidirectional referral for rehabilitation patients.