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Constipation and encopresis

PAEDIATRIC

Minimum Referral Criteria

  • Category 1
    (appointment within 30 calendar days)
    • Associated with weight loss or vomiting
    • Infant less than 1 year
    • Marked abdominal distension and faltering growth (failure to thrive)
    • Hirschsprung disease (suspected new)
  • Category 2
    (appointment within 90 calendar days)
    • Past history of surgical pathology predisposing to constipation and/or encopresis (e.g. Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformation, cloaca, spina bifida, antegrade continence stoma)

  • Category 3
    (appointment within 365 calendar days)
    • No category 3 criteria

1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral

  • To establish a diagnosis
  • For treatment or intervention
  • For advice and management
  • For specialist to take over management
  • Reassurance for GP/second opinion
  • For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
  • Reassurance for the patient/family
  • For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
  • Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this

  • Duration of symptoms
  • Report presence or absence of concerning features
    • Infant less than one year
    • Severe recurrent abdominal pain
    • Weight loss

3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral

  • No additional referral information

4. Request

Last updated: 5 February 2020