Referrals to specialist outpatient services within Logan Hospital must be in writing, and as a minimum contain the following:
• Patient demographics including Medicare number and Interpreter requirements
• Patient's mobile phone contact number and an alternate postal or contact address (if not the same as usual residence)
• Reason for referral (including the problem to be assessed, degree of loss of function, pain experienced)
• Results of relevant investigations (pathology, radiology, histology)
• Current medications and doses, prescribed and over the counter (note any recent changes in drug therapy)
• Allergies (drug/topical preparation)
• Relevant information about the patient's condition such as previous medical/surgical treatment (include systemic and topical medications prescribed for the condition) and details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g., diabetes)
• Relevant psychological and social issues impacted by condition
• Smoking and alcohol history.
• presence or absence or alarm symptoms in patients with upper abdominal symptoms
• family history of colo-rectal neoplasia in patients with lower abdominal symptoms
• E/LFT's, FBS and ESR or CRP (all patients)
• abdominal pain - imaging US or CT
• dyspepsia - H.pylori testing (breath test or stool antigen)
• anaemia - iron studies, B12, folate
• diarrhoea - stool M/C/S, O/C/P, C difficile toxin, - coeliac serology
• results of any scopes undertake