Laravel 5 getting ID from URL

Question

I have a table view in which I can click an button icon and redirect to another page carrying the id of the row that has been clicked.

@foreach ($patients as $patient)
    <tr>
        <td>{{ $patient->pID }}</td>
        <td>{{ $patient->pName }}</td> 
        <td>{{ $patient->pAddress }}</td>
        <td>{{ $patient->pBday }}</td>
        <td>{{ $patient->pPhone}}</td>
        <td>{{ $patient->pEcon }}</td>
        <td>{{ $patient->pDreg }}</td>
        <td></td>
        <td>
            <a href="{{ URL::to('visit/'.$patient->pID) }}">
                <img src="../images/viewvisit.png" style="width:30px; height:30px;">
            </a>
        </td>
        <td>
            <a href="{{ URL::to('addeditvisit/'.$patient->pID) }}">
                <img src="../images/visit.png" style="width:30px; height:30px;">
            </a>
        </td>
        <td>
            <a href="{{ URL::to('editpatient/'.$patient->pID) }}">
                <img src="../images/update.png" style="width:30px; height:30px;">
            </a>
        </td>
        <td>
            <a href="{{ URL::to('deletepatient/'.$patient->pID) }}">
                <img src="../images/delete.png" style="width:30px; height:30px;">
            </a>
        </td>
    </tr>
@endforeach 

what I want is to get the id from the URL and put it in a variable so that I can utilize it my other page.

I'm currently stuck with this controller function.

public function index(Request $request) {   

    $doctors = Doctor::where('dStatus', 0)
        ->lists('dName', 'dID');
    $beds = Bed::where('bStatus', 0)
        ->lists('bName', 'bID');
    $patient = Patient::patient();
    // $uri = $request->path('patient');

    return View::make('pages.addeditvisit', [
        'doctors'=>$doctors,
        'beds'=>$beds,
        'patient'=>$patient->pID
    ]);
}

Answer 1

This is late. But for the benefit of others like me;

If you do not have to do it in a method like the answers above have shown, As of Laravel 5.0 (Not sure about previous versions), you can do

$request->route('id');

That returns the value of the id parameter on the route.

Answer 2

Or just use it within Blade: {{ request()->route('id') }}

Answer 3

Basically when you are defining the routes, you use something called route parameters, something like this

Route::get('/visit/{id}', 'Controller@someMethod');

This id will be available as a parameter in your handler funtion,

public function someMethod($id) {
    // you have the id here
}