This site contains the South Australian Clinical Prioritisation Criteria (CPC) for most frequently referred orthopaedics conditions.
Orthopaedics conditions
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 orthopaedics exclusions section.
- Achilles Tendon
- Arthritis
- Basal Thumb Arthritis
- De Quervain’s Tensynovitis - Orthopaedics
- Dupuytren’s Contracture - Orthopaedics
- Foot and Ankle Arthritis
- Foot and Ankle Deformity
- Ganglion
- Heel Pain
- Hip Pain (Acute and Chronic)
- Knee Pain (Acute and Chronic)
- Peripheral Nerve Entrapment (Carpal Tunnel/Ulnar Nerve) - Orthopaedics
- Shoulder and Elbow (Acute and Chronic)
- Spinal - Orthopaedics
- Trauma - Orthopaedics
- Trigger Finger or Stenosing Tenosynovitis - Orthopaedics
- Wrist Pain
Out of scope
Not all medical conditions are covered by the CPC, as certain conditions may be considered out of scope or managed by other specialist services:
- nil
Exclusions for public specialist outpatient services
Not all orthopaedic conditions are appropriate for referral into the South Australian public health system. The following are not routinely provided in a public specialist outpatient service:
- acute or sub-acute non-specific spinal pain
- clinical symptoms not severe enough to require surgical intervention
- chronic non-active Charcot neuroarthropathy
- Dupuytren’s nodule without functional impairment or contracture
- frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
- refer to rheumatology department for systemic inflammatory disorders
Emergency information
See the individual condition pages for more specific emergency information.
Feedback
We welcome requests for further information or feedback on the CPC and website, please refer to the relevant form below.
Please email the completed form to Health.CPC@sa.gov.au.
Review
The Orthopaedic CPC is due for review in May 2024.
Evidence statement
For a copy of the evidence statement, please email Health.CPC@sa.gov.au.