@article {LOU1981, author = {BENJAMIN LOU and MIRELLA DE CIVITA and DEBBIE EHRMANN FELDMAN and ASVINA BISSONAUTH and SASHA BERNATSKY}, title = {Care Partnerships Between Family Physicians and Rheumatologists}, volume = {38}, number = {9}, pages = {1981--1985}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.101150}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {Objective. To describe care partnerships between family physicians and rheumatologists. Methods. A random sample (20\%, n = 478) of family physicians was mailed a questionnaire, asking if there was at least 1 particular rheumatologist to whom the physician tended to refer patients. If the answer was affirmative, the physician would be considered as having a {\textquotedblleft}care partnership{\textquotedblright} with that rheumatologist. The family physician then rated, on a 5-point scale, factors of importance regarding the relationship with that rheumatologist. Results. The questionnaire was completed by 84/462 (18.2\%) of family physicians; 52/84 (61.9\%) reported having rheumatology care partnerships according to our definition. Regarding interactions with rheumatologists, most respondents rated the following as important (score >= 4): adequate communication and information exchange (44/50, 88.0\%); waiting time for new patients (40/50, 80.0\%); clear and appropriate balance of responsibilities (39/49, 79.6\%); and patient feedback and preferences (34/50, 68\%). Male family physicians were more likely than females to accord high importance to personal knowledge of the rheumatologist, and to physical proximity of the rheumatologist{\textquoteright}s practice. Regarding relationships with rheumatologists, 30/50 (60.0\%) of respondents felt communication and information exchange were adequate, and 35/50 (70.0\%) felt they had a clear balance of responsibilities. Conclusion. Almost two-thirds of family physicians have rheumatology care partnerships, according to our definition. In this partnership, establishing adequate communication and shorter waiting time seem of paramount importance to family physicians. A balanced sharing of responsibilities and patients{\textquoteright} preferences are also valued. Although many physicians reported adequate communication and clear and appropriate balance of responsibilities in their current interactions with rheumatologists, there appears to be room for improvement.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/38/9/1981}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/38/9/1981.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }