Recurrent respiratory infections without known lung disease
Minimum referral criteria
Category 1 |
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Category 2 |
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Category 3 |
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Standard information for all referrals
Reason for request
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for general practitioner or second opinion
- For a specified test or investigation the general practitioner can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient or family
- For other reason (e.g., rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Patient's demographic details
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Phone contact numbers – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Referring practitioner details
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – phone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
- Patient's usual general practitioner (if different from above)
Relevant clinical information about the condition
- Inclusion of Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) where relevant
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Investigations carried out and results as indicated in the relevant pathway
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Options already pursued
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
Clinical modifiers
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Other relevant information
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g., DVA, WorkCover, motor vehicle insurance)
Essential information for recurrent respiratory infections without known lung disease referrals
- Description of lower respiratory tract symptoms with supporting investigations e.g. CXR, sputum culture, WCC
- Details of antibiotics previously prescribed for respiratory tract infections
Additional information for recurrent respiratory infections without known lung disease referrals
- No additional referral information required
Information for your patient
Expected time frame for appointment notifications
- Once the request is received, categorisation by the hospital will occur.
- General practitioners and patients are notified of the assigned category between 14 days to 1 month after completed request is received.
- Patients are usually notified of the upcoming appointment time and date approximately 4 weeks prior unless short notice appointments become available.
Appointment information
- Patients will be given an appointment via phone, SMS, or letter.
- The patient must contact the hospital to reschedule if they are not able to attend.
- If the patient fails to respond to 2 appointment offers:
- They will be discharged back to their general practitioner.
- They can have a new request for assessment sent to the hospital if the need still exists.
- The patient's first appointment may not always be with a specialist. Where appropriate, the request may be sent to a public allied health or nursing service for initial assessment and management. A specialist assessment may then be arranged or ruled out.
Ask your patient to:
- take a list of current medications, and all relevant radiology films and reports to appointments.
- advise of any change in circumstance (e.g., getting worse or becoming pregnant), as this may affect the request for assessment.
- update their contact details (e.g., phone number and address) with the hospital.
Last updated: 24 January 2020
