Referral to emergency

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

  • nil

For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant specialty service.

Women's and Children's Health Network

Inclusions

Confirmed or suspected diagnosis/family history of:

  • arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)
  • ascending aortic aneurysm/aortopathy/arteriopathy/aortic dissection
  • Brugada syndrome
  • catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT)
  • congenital heart defect where genetic cause is suspected
  • death from a suspected cardiac origin in a first degree relative
  • hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
  • idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy
  • left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC)
  • long QT syndrome
  • Marfan syndrome, please ensure an echocardiogram and ophthalmology review has been requested
  • paediatric pulmonary hypertension
  • sudden unexplained death in a young relative, less than 40 years of age

If clinical symptoms or signs are present please refer to the relevant CPC

Exclusions

Triage categories

If clinical cardiac symptoms or signs are present please refer to the relevant cardiology CPC

Triage category will be determined by triaging clinician based on clinical information received in referral. 

Essential referral information

Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

  • as much detail as possible about the patient’s history of disease including the following:
    • clinical symptoms and signs, including exercise symptoms
  • known details of relevant family history (first and second-degree blood relatives) including:
    • date of birth
    • previous names/surnames
    • clinical diagnosis/features and age at diagnosis
    • relation to patient including whether maternal or paternal
    • autopsy reports where relevant and available, coronial autopsies require written consent from the coroner to be able to be shared
    • details and results of genetic testing if performed, include a copy of genetic test result

Additional information to assist triage categorisation

  • electrocardiogram (ECG)/chest x-ray (CXR) if performed

Reason for request

  • to establish a diagnosis
  • for treatment or intervention
  • for advice and management
  • for specialist to take over management
  • for a specified test/investigation the General Practitioner cannot order
  • for other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • transfer of care from another tertiary service
  • clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary.

Patient demographic details

  • full name, including aliases
  • date of birth
  • residential and postal address
  • telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
  • Medicare number, where eligible
  • name of the parent or caregiver, if appropriate
  • preferred language and interpreter requirements
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Clinical modifiers

  • impact on employment
  • impact on education
  • impact on home
  • impact on activities of daily living
  • impact on ability to care for others
  • impact on personal frailty or safety
  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Other relevant information

  • Willingness to have surgery, where surgery is a likely intervention.
  • Choice to be treated as a public or private patient.
  • Compensable status, e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.
  • Relevant social history, including identifying if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf.
  • Triage of a specialist outpatient referral is based on clinical decision making to allocate an appropriate urgency categorisation.
  • Where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
  • A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or pregnancy) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
  • All new referrals will be triaged by a consultant and appointment times scheduled according to clinical urgency.

Adolescents transitioning from paediatric to adult specialist services require a formal handover from paediatric specialist clinician to adult specialist clinician as well as a formal referral from the referring specialist to ensure initial transfer of care is completed.

The role of the referring clinician (e.g. General Practitioner, Nurse Practitioner) in this process is to provide support to patients as part of holistic care. All ongoing referrals to specialists can subsequently be provided by the referring clinician once the transfer of care has occurred.