Orthopaedics
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If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
The list below includes common traumatic injuries that require referral to emergency and should not be referred for elective / fracture clinic categorisation
Adult
Shoulder and elbow conditions
- Clinically indicated e.g. suspected septic arthritis
- Evidence of acute inflammation e.g: haemarthrosis, tense effusion
- Irreducible glenohumeral dislocation with or without fracture
- Upper limb vascular compromise
- Elbow conditions - Dislocation with or without fracture
- Elbow conditions - Trauma with acute neurological or vascular compromise
Wrist and hand
- Uncontrolled sepsis including hand infections
- Upper limb radiculopathy in the presence of suspected cervical spine infection
- Acute development of peripheral nerve compression symptoms following trauma or acute event
- Suspected flexor sheath infection
- Suspected Septic arthritis
Bone & Soft Tumour
- Suspected malignancy
Hip and knee
- Suspected septic arthritis
- Knee extensor mechanism rupture
- Fracture
- Evidence of acute inflammation for example
- haemarthrosis
- tense effusion
- Suspected infection or sudden pain in arthroplasty
- if joint infection is suspected refer immediately to emergency or contact the orthopaedic registrar on call. Do not commence antibiotics unless delay to specialist review is likely
Foot and ankle
- Suspected septic arthritis
- Infected diabetic ulceration (systemic signs/symptoms)
- Displaced fracture of the ankle or hindfoot
- Acute achilles tendon rupture (if no fracture clinic available)
- Avulsion fracture of achilles tendon from calcaneus
Back and/or Neck Pain
- Cauda equina syndrome
- High energy spinal trauma
- Suspected epidural abscess or discitis
Request for advice /eConsult
- Where diagnosis of the following Minimum referral consult conditions is equivocal, eConsult is available to provide timely advice in regard to diagnosis, investigations, or management or
- May be provided on receipt of a referral if eConsult is deemed to better meet the needs of the patient.
Trauma and fractures
- Acute cervical myelopathy
- Acute back or neck pain secondary to neoplastic disease or infection
- Spinal injuries
- Suspected open fracture
- Fracture requiring manipulation or operation
- Suspected acute bone or joint infection
- Acute high energy fracture with/without neurological abnormality
- Injury associated with vascular compromise
- Clavicle fracture
- Osteoporotic / pathological fracture new abnormal neurology
- Joint dislocations
- Open injuries with possible tendon or joint involved
- Nail bed injuries or retained foreign body
- Knee extensor mechanism rupture
- Acute peripheral nerve injury
- Suspected acute compartment syndrome
Hand Trauma
- Acute ligament injury
- Tendon rupture
- Open 'tooth knuckle' injury
Upper and lower limb trauma
- Open, unstable or suspected fractures
Other referrals to emergency not covered within these conditions
- Suspected open fracture
- Fracture requiring manipulation or operation
- Suspected acute bone or joint infection
- Acute high energy fracture with/without neurological abnormality
- Injury associated with vascular compromise
- Clavicle fracture
- Osteoporotic / pathological fracture new abnormal neurology
- Suspected infection or sudden pain in arthroplasty
- If joint infection is suspected refer immediately to emergency or contact the orthopaedic registrar on call
- do not commence antibiotics unless delay to specialist review is likely
- Joint dislocations
- Open injuries with possible tendon or joint involved
- Nail bed injuries or retained foreign body
- Knee extensor mechanism rupture
- Acute peripheral nerve injury
- Suspected acute compartment syndrome
Timing of first review appointments at orthopaedic outpatient's/fracture clinic
- if there is documentation indicating adequate alignment and satisfactory initial treatment of fracture – to be seen within 14 days of referral
- all other fracture cases, delayed presentation of tendon and nerve injuries - to be seen within 7 days of referral
Paediatric
Limping child/reluctant to weight bear
- Limping child with signs of:
- Being unwell, flushed, lethargic, fever, flat, anorexic and/or
- Irritable and stiff joint and/or
- Not improving
- Systemically unwell, febrile or suspicion of septic arthritis
- Concern of infection or trauma
- Suspicion or concern of non-accidental injury
NB See Slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE) CPC
Heel Pain
- Systemically unwell, febrile or suspicion of septic arthritis
- Concern of infection or trauma
- Suspicion or concern of non-accidental injury
Osgood-Schlatter Disease
- Suspected infection or bone disease
Perthes Disease
- For guidelines regarding when to refer to emergency, please see HealthPathways.
- Systemically unwell, febrile or suspicion of septic arthritis
- Concern of infection or trauma
Slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE)
- All suspected or confirmed SUFE should be referred to the ED or local orthopaedic on call registrar service no matter the chronicity
Scoliosis / Kyphosis
- Systemically unwell
- Abnormal neurological reason
Back pain
- Systemically unwell
- Abnormal neurological reason
Tumour – bone and soft tissue
- Suspected malignancy
Infection: bone/joint
- If clinically confirmed or suspected bone infection who present with;
- fever
- unexplained limp and/or abnormal posture or gait
- reluctance to use the limb or will not weight bear if lower limb affected
- musculoskeletal pain ± presence of local bone or joint tenderness, swelling or erythema
- complete or partial limitation of movement on examination.
- All cases with pain, or abnormal labs or abnormal bone scan
- Clinically indicated e.g. suspected septic arthritis
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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 CPC out of scope section.
- Knee injury (acute) ADULT
- Bow legs PAEDIATRIC
- Tumour – bone and soft tissue PAEDIATRIC
- Club foot/feet/inversion (Talipes Equinovarus) PAEDIATRIC
- Knock knees PAEDIATRIC
- Slipped upper femoral epiphysis (SUFE) PAEDIATRIC
- Toe-walking PAEDIATRIC
- In-toeing PAEDIATRIC
- Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) PAEDIATRIC
- Upper limb trauma ADULT
- Lower limb trauma conditions (see also acute knee pain above) ADULT
- Stenosing tenosynovitis ADULT
- Heel pain PAEDIATRIC
- Knee pain (chronic) conditions ADULT
- Out-toeing PAEDIATRIC
- Paediatric Back Pain PAEDIATRIC
- Scoliosis / Kyphosis PAEDIATRIC
- Limping child/reluctant to weight bear PAEDIATRIC
- Back and/or Neck Pain (Orthopaedics) ADULT
- Osgood-Schlatter disease PAEDIATRIC
- Perthes disease PAEDIATRIC
- Hip pain ADULT
- Benign tumours of the hand and wrist ADULT
- Dupuytren’s contracture (Orthopaedics) ADULT
- Hand trauma ADULT
- Achilles tendon pathology and rupture ADULT
- Shoulder Pain ADULT
- Shoulder Instability ADULT
- Elbow conditions ADULT
- Bone and soft-tissue tumour (Sarcoma) ADULT
- Arthritis of the hand and/or wrist ADULT
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Cubital Tunnel Syndrome ADULT
- Foot and ankle pain and/or deformity (non-diabetic) ADULT
- Foot and ankle conditions associated with diabetic foot disease ADULT
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The following are not routinely provided in a public Orthopaedics service.
Adult Service
- Aesthetic or cosmetic surgery
- Disability assessment (refer to HealthPathways)
- Referrals for assessment prior to application for the Australian Defence Force or Queensland Police Service
Paediatric Service
- Nil noted
Last updated: 20 December 2021
© State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 2023
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