This site contains the South Australian Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) for most frequently referred respiratory and sleep medicine conditions.

Respiratory and sleep medicine conditions

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all conditions for outpatient services and does not exclude consideration for referral unless specifically stipulated in the respiratory and sleep medicine exclusions section.

Out of scope

Not all medical conditions are covered by the CPC, as certain conditions may be considered out of scope or managed by other specialist services:

  • Pulmonary Hypertension

Exclusions for public specialist outpatient services

Not all respiratory and sleep medicine conditions are appropriate for referral into the South Australian public health system. The following are not routinely provided in a public specialist outpatient service:

  • asthma without first-line management in line with the Australian Asthma Handbook
  • bronchiolitis – refer to emergency department if concerns of respiratory distress
  • cough present for less than eight weeks
  • consideration of home oxygen in the following settings
    • current smokers or vaping*
    • dyspnoea in patients with PaO2 ≥ 60 mmHg or SpO2 ≥ 90% on room air
    • where therapy has not been fully maximised, e.g. medication optimisation, pleural fluid aspiration, time for recovery from acute illness
    • cognitive or physical impairment that may compromise safety with oxygen therapy e.g., dementia, no home supports
  • nasal epistaxis for consideration of nasal cautery, or reassurance if case is mild
  • pulmonary rehab if:
    • respiratory diagnosis not confirmed
    • severe cognitive impairment or unstable psychiatric illness
    • unstable cardiac disease
    • uncontrolled hypertension
    • acute unstable respiratory illness
    • relevant infectious organism
    • musculoskeletal or neurological conditions that prevent exercise
    • unable to meet attendance requirements
  • suspected or confirmed non-respiratory sleep disorders in the presence of, or driven by, severe and/or unstable psychiatric disorder(s) illness including psychosis, major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or in the presence of substance abuse or polypharmacy with sedating medications

*Please note assessment for oxygen therapy may be made four weeks after smoking cessation. Patients who are active smokers on admission to hospital will need to wait the full four weeks out of hospital before they would be considered for home oxygen. After the four weeks, the patient will need referral placed, with repeat ABG and +/- urine cotinine/exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) to clarify their

Emergency information

See the individual condition pages for more specific emergency information.

Feedback

We welcome requests for further information or feedback on the CPC and website, please refer to the relevant form below.

Please email the completed form to Health.CPC@sa.gov.au.

Review

The respiratory and sleep medicine CPC is due for review in:

  • July 2026 for all paediatric conditions
  • October 2027 for all adult conditions

Evidence statement

For a copy of the evidence statement, please email Health.CPC@sa.gov.au.