Pattern of inpatient referrals to dermatology at a tertiary care centre of South Rajasthan

BACKGROUND: Dermatologists besides providing service to patients in the outdoors, also play a vital role in the care of inpatients admitted to dermatology unit and other departments. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of referrals sent to the dermatology department by other departments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included all inpatients referred to dermatology department of a tertiary care centre of South Rajasthan during a 5-year period from October 2008 to September 2013. RESULTS: A total of 1560 consultations with 1603 diagnoses were recorded. Most (770; 49.3%) consultations were received from internal medicine, followed by surgery (177; 11.3%), pediatrics (104; 6.7%), psychiatry (86; 5.5%) and gynecology (69; 4.4%) wards. Infectious skin diseases were most common (29.7%) followed by eczema (12.0%) and drug reactions (9.0%). CONCLUSION: Dermatology referrals can enhance the dermatological knowledge of non-dermatologists to diagnose and manage common dermatoses thus improving overall patient care.