ABSTRACT
After gathering information about the population a therapist serves and the service that is currently delivered, it is time to consider exactly which kind of patient self-referral service is right for the therapist's overall needs. Not only are there different ways in which patients can access a therapist's service, either directly or indirectly themselves or by being referred by another healthcare practitioner, there are also different ways of providing patient self-referral services. This chapter provides a description of a range of options that are potentially available to a therapist. The systems are classified under the following headings: (1) Telephone systems, for advice, assessment and management decisions (triage), call back, self-referral, and appointment allocation; and (2) Face-to-face services, for drop-in clinics and managed waiting list approach. Before implementing any service the therapist must identify which system or blend of systems he/she intends to develop.
