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.

  • haemodynamic instability
  • obstructive jaundice
  • severe abdominal pain

Please contact the on-call registrar to discuss your concerns prior to referral.

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

Northern Adelaide Local Health Network

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network

Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)

  • suspected malignancy

Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)

  • nil

Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)

  • nil

For more on outpatient referrals, see the general referral information page.

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 required
  • past medical/surgical history
  • medications and allergies
  • presence of unresolved psychological or psychiatric pathologies
  • alcohol consumption and frequency
  • age
  • height/weight
  • body mass index
  • history of presenting complaint
    • concerning features for example, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, bloated sensation, unintentional weight loss
    • duration/frequency/escalation of symptoms
    • previous management trialled and efficacy
  • abdominal examination findings such as,
    • palpable abdominal mass
    • right upper quadrant tenderness
  • pathology:
    • complete blood examination (CBE)
    • urea electrolytes and creatinine (UEC)
    • liver function test (LFT)
    • glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) if diabetic
    • cancer antigen 19.9 (CA19.9)
  • abdominal ultrasound (US)
  • chest-abdomen-pelvis computed tomography (CT)
  • relevant diagnostic/imaging reports, including location of company and accession number

Additional information to assist triage categorisation

  • reports of prior gastroscopies and pathology results of specimens