Table 2.
Source of referral to first PRh appointment and total symptom duration in months prior to first assessment by PRh: median (IQR)
| Source of referral | n (% of whole cohort)a | Symptom duration between symptom onset and referral to rheumatology careb | Duration from date of referral to PRh to first PRh appointmentb | Total symptom durationb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totala | 490 (97) | 3.3 (1.5, 8.1) | 0.8 (0.3, 1.7) | 4.7 (2.2, 9.4) |
| Accident and emergency | 44 (9) | 1.1 (0.3, 3.2) | 0.3 (0, 0.9) | 1.7 (0.9, 4.3) |
| General practitioner | 85 (17) | 3.8 (1.6, 11.3) | 1.3 (0.8, 2.3) | 5.3 (3.2, 13.7) |
| Orthopaedic surgeon | 147 (29) | 3.3 (1.7, 7.8) | 1.0 (0.5, 1.9) | 5.1 (2.6, 9.7) |
| General paediatrician | 185 (36) | 3.3 (1.8, 8.3) | 0.6 (0.2, 1.3) | 4.6 (2.3, 9.0) |
| Otherc | 29 (6) | 5.4 (2.8, 13.3) | 0.9 (0.3, 2.1) | 7.5 (4.6, 14.3) |
| Not recorded | 17 (3) | – | – | 3.8 (2.6, 7.5) |
aDate and source of referral only available for 490 children. bDifferences between referral sources statistically significant (Kruskal–Wallis equality-of-populations rank test, P < 0.001). cIncludes plastic surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, neurology, physiotherapy, adult rheumatology and direct parent referral.