Joint consultation of general practitioner and rheumatologist: does it matter?

To assess the effects of joint consultation on referral behaviour of general practitioners (GPs) in a prospective cohort study.All patients with rheumatological complaints that 17 participating GPs, from the area of the University Hospital Maastricht, wanted to refer during a two year inclusion period (n=166) were eligible for inclusion. These patients were either referred to the outpatient clinic, or presented at a joint consultation held every...