Referral to emergency

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

  • concerns for infection including septic arthritis
  • complications of disease or therapy requiring emergent review – systemically unwell

Please contact the on-call registrar to discuss your concerns prior to referral.

For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant metropolitan Local Health Network switchboard and ask to speak to the relevant specialty service.

Women's and Children's Health Network

Category 1 (appointment clinically indicated within 30 days)

  • increasing frequency of episodes for an established autoinflammatory condition, escalating symptoms or significant effect on quality of life
  • evidence of new autoinflammatory disease including periodic fevers without evidence of infection
  • evidence of organ compromise such as neurological involvement or renal compromise secondary to underlying autoinflammatory condition

Category 2 (appointment clinically indicated within 90 days)

  • suspected periodic fever syndromes
  • stable symptoms thought to be related to periodic fever syndrome

Category 3 (appointment clinically indicated within 365 days)

  • nil

For information on referral forms and how to import them, please view general referral information.

Essential referral information

Completion required before first appointment to ensure patients are ready for care. Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.

  • identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander  
  • identify within your referral if you feel your patient is from a vulnerable population, under guardianship/out-of-home care arrangements and/or requires a third party to receive correspondence on their behalf
  • interpreter required
  • history of fevers:
    • duration of fevers
    • frequency
    • number of episodes of fever
    • responses to medications including steroids if trialed
    • age of onset of fevers
  • history of presenting complaint:
    • symptoms: rash, mouth ulcers, pharyngitis, joint pain and swelling, abdominal or chest pain, diarrhoea, or constipation
  • physical examination including description of rashes, pharyngitis, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, arthritis
  • ethnicity
  • family history of periodic fever or autoinflammatory diseases, renal involvement, and deafness

Additional information to assist triage categorisation

  • past medical history
  • medication history
  • any blood tests, urine samples or viral swabs if available
  • relevant diagnostic/imaging reports including location of company and accession number
  • fever diary documenting duration of fever and associated symptoms
  • any photos of rashes, suggest to families to take photos of any rashes and bring these to outpatient appointment

Clinical management advice

Children with autoinflammatory diseases may be seen by both rheumatology and allergy and immunology services. Preferential referral to allergy and immunology is recommended where an immunodeficiency disease / inborn error of immunity is amongst differentials.

  • symptomatic management of febrile episodes with simple analgesia
  • generally no other specific management is required prior to review in rheumatology clinic

Clinical resources