Table 3.

Referral Avoidability

Avoidable Through	%†
Training in procedures such as skin biopsy or flexiblesigmoidoscopy	17
Consultation with a trusted generalist colleague	13†
Telephone consult with specialist	12†
The presence of a health educator	10
Readily available clinical practice guidelines	7
Longer visit length	6
Computerized medical expert systems	4
MEDLINE search capabilities	2†
Subspecialty texts	1†

* Percentage of referrals for which generalists, using a 5-point Likert scale, felt that the factors listed would definitely or probably have allowed them to avoid referral at that time.

^†Resources already available to all generalists in the study clinics.