Drivers of referrals to a children’s hospital neonatal–infant intensive care unit

Objectives Evaluate the outreach program of a regional NICU for referral satisfaction, drivers and barriers, preferences for service methods, outreach communication, and education. Study design To point out prevalence assessment of preferences, referral reasons, satisfaction and general feedback by regional neonatologists implemented by electronic survey using either multiple-choice or Likert scale questions. Survey questions were derived via consensus of the outreach program team. Results A 100% response rate was achieved from 136 neonatologists. Over 90% of the respondents indicated either increased or unchanged referral rates and answered “maybe” or “definitely satisfied” with the outreach program. Insurance, bed availability, excellence in subspecialty support, and communication from neonatologists were important referral factors. Research reputation was not a significant driver. Case conferences at referral hospitals and program newsletters were the preferred education methods. Conclusions Advanced subspecialty services, communication with referring neonatologists, and access to the referral system are important drivers of satisfaction for referrals to our quaternary NICU.