Text
Refer for emergency assessment
Direct to an emergency department for:
- Progressively worsening oropharyngeal or throat dysphagia
- Inability to swallow with drooling or pooling of saliva
- Suspected oesophageal rupture or oesophageal bleeding
- Unresolved food bolus obstruction
- Shortness of breath or chest pain, syncope or pre-syncope with iron deficiency (ferritin below the lower limit of normal).
Criteria for referral to public hospital service
- Known or suspected upper gastrointestinal malignancy
- Progressive dysphagia
- Iron deficient anaemia that persists despite correction of potential causative factors
Information to be included in the referral
Information that must be provided
- Findings on physical examination
- Onset, characteristics and duration of symptoms and sentinel findings (e.g. dysphagia, weight loss)
- If iron deficient anaemia
- iron studies or serum ferritin
- full blood examination (FBE)
- dietary history, including red meat intake
- current and complete medication history (including non-prescription medicines, herbs and supplements)
Provide if available
- Gastroscopy results, including when and where the procedure was performed
- Histopathology results.
Additional comments
The Summary and referral information lists the information that should be included in a referral request.
Patients with a single episode of dysphagia should be referred for gastroscopy either through a direct access referral Dysphagia - diagnostic gastroscopy or the gastroenterology service provided by the health service Dysphagia.
Referrals for oropharyngeal dysphagia should be directed to ENT service provided by the health service.
Where appropriate and available the referral may be directed to an alternative specialist clinic or service.
Referral to a public hospital is not appropriate for
Not applicable.