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 metropolitan Local Health Network switchboard and ask to speak to the relevant specialty service.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network
- Royal Adelaide Hospital (08) 7074 0000
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (08) 8222 6000
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Flinders Medical Centre (08) 8204 5511
Exclusions
Referral without specialist physician input.
Triage categories
Category 1 - appointment clinically indicated within 30 days
- temporal artery
Category 2 — appointment clinically indicated within 90 days
- nerve
- muscle
Category 3 — appointment clinically indicated within 365 days
- nil
For information on referral forms and how to import them, please view general referral information.
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.
- identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- relevant social history, including identifying if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf
- interpreter requirements
- specialist physician - reason for biopsy
- past medical/surgical history
- current medications and dosages
- allergies and sensitivities
- presenting symptoms including visual loss or concerns thereof
Clinical management advice
Referrals for muscle, nerve or temporal artery biopsy are generally received as internal referrals by specialist clinicians to confirm/exclude a diagnosis. General referrals for biopsies do not include punch biopsy for suspect malignancy – if concerns of malignancy exist, please discuss with appropriate specialist service.
Biopsy referrals can be completed by the following specialist services:
- general surgery (all)
- neurosurgery (nerve and arterial)
- plastic surgery (all)
- vascular surgery (arterial).
If the patient requires urgent attention and/or fulfils category 1 triage criteria, please contact the on-call registrar to discuss and ensure your referral has been received.