Usually, when primary care doctors refer their patients, it's to other doctors. But they can also refer patients to social services. Researchers in Seattle looked at referrals to Head Start.

What the researchers wanted to know: Does referring kids to Head Start from clinics make them more likely to enroll?

What they did: At four clinics in Seattle, 246 children who were eligible for Head Start were randomly chosen to get either just a list of Head Start phone numbers or a full-on Head Start intervention: the phone numbers for the family, then a computer-generated referral packet sent to Head Start, with a letter from the doctor and, if available, a physical exam form and the child's immunization record. Later, someone at each Head Start agency checked whether each child was in their program.

What they found: Of the children who got the referral letter sent on their behalf, 41 percent were either attending Head Start or on a waiting list, but only 18 percent of the control group were.

What the study means to you: Integrating a referral to Head Start into health clinics may increase the chances families will take advantage of the program.

Caveats: Even the control group got a lot more help than the average family probably gets, since they got the list of numbers and a follow-up call later, asking—for the study—whether they'd followed up.

Find out more: Head Start is run by local agencies; you can search for one near you through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Read the article: Silverstein, M., et al. "Effect of a Clinic-Based Referral System to Head Start." Journal of the American Medical Association. Aug. 25, 2004, Vol. 292, No. 8, pp. 968-971.

Abstract online: http://jama.ama-assn.org