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.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network
- Royal Adelaide Hospital (08) 7074 0000
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (08) 8222 6000
Northern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Lyell McEwin Hospital (08) 8182 9000
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Flinders Medical Centre (08) 8204 5511
Women's and Children's Health Network
- Women’s and Children’s Hospital (08) 8161 7000
Exclusions
- post-menopausal osteoporosis, refer to endocrinology
- post-menopausal hormonal implants
Triage categories
Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)
- nil
Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)
- nil
Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)
- post-menopausal women with complex symptoms unresolved with first-line treatment/s including:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- mood changes
- vaginal dryness/itching
- dyspareunia
- sleep problems
- urinary problems
- memory and concentration problems
- joint pain and stiffness
Central Adelaide Local Health Network only accept referrals for people greater than 18 years of age.
Due to limitations in infrastructure and resources, the Women's and Children's Hospital cannot accommodate referrals for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 45, as well as individuals over the age of 69 years of age.
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.
- past medical/surgical/obstetric/psychosocial history
- family history where relevant
- current medications and allergies
- onset, duration and course of presenting symptoms
- height/weight
- BMI
- menstrual history:
- cycle (day/months)
- days of bleeding
- blood loss e.g. change of pads or tampons per day/hours
- previously trialled treatments
- quality of life concerns including missed work/study/family
- pelvic examination findings
- trans-vaginal/abdominal ultrasound
- pathology:
- an up-to-date cervical screening test as per the cervical screening guidelines
Sexually active people
Complete a sexually transmitted infection screen, including:
- human immunodeficiency virus and syphilis serology
- chlamydia and gonorrhoea which requires:
- endocervical swab for culture and
- endocervical polymerase chain reaction swab or urine sample
Additional information to assist triage categorisation
- any additional investigations and results e.g. bone density testing
Clinical management advice
Patients should only be referred if they are experiencing complex symptoms that have not resolved with first-line treatment options. In such cases, it is recommended to consider a referral to a general practitioner with a special interest in menopause management.
Clinical resources
- Australasian Menopause Society – Health Professionals
- Australian Indigenous Health Info Net - Central Australian Aboriginal Congress: Women's Business Manual for Remote and Rural Practice 7th Edition
- Australian Medical Association - New Stolen Generation resources for GPs
- Jean Hailes for Women - Health Professional Tools
Consumer resources
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.