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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.
- acute tonsillitis with any of the following:
- acute upper airway obstruction
- dehydration
- systemically unwell
- signs of quinsy (unilateral tonsil displacement, trismus, peritonsillar cellulitis or abscess)
For clinical advice, please telephone the relevant specialty service.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network
- Royal Adelaide Hospital (08) 7074 0000
- The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (08) 8222 6000
Northern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Lyell McEwin Hospital (08) 8182 9000
- Modbury Hospital (08) 8161 2000
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network
- Flinders Medical Centre (08) 8204 5511
Category 1 — appointment clinically indicated within 30 days
- nil
Category 2 — appointment clinically indicated within 90 days
- nil
Category 3 — appointment clinically indicated within 365 days
- chronic or recurrent infection with fever/malaise, decreased oral intake and any of the following:
- 4 or more episodes in the last 12 months
- 6 or more episodes in the last 24 months
- tonsil stones (tonsillitis) with halitosis
- absent from work/university/college for a total of four weeks in a year due to tonsillitis
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.
- symptom history and details of previous medical management including-
- frequency number and timeframe of previous episodes
- the degree of systemic upset
- recent hospitalisation from tonsillitis < 12 months
- previous medications prescribed
- duration and outcome of the treatment prescribed
- history of familial clotting disorders
- use of anticoagulant medication, including new oral anticoagulants (NOACs), aspirin, warfarin, and fish oil
- relevant physical examination findings
For obstructive sleep apnoea resulting from tonsillar hypertrophy (enlargement) refer utilising the Obstructive Sleep Apnoea - Adult CPC.
Additional information to assist triage categorisation
Throat microscopy, culture and sensitivity (MCS) when tonsillitis diagnosed.
Consumer resources
Reason for request
- to establish a diagnosis
- for treatment or intervention
- for advice and management
- for specialist to take over management
- for a specified test/investigation the General Practitioner cannot order
- for other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- transfer of care from another tertiary service
- clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary.
Patient demographic details
- full name, including aliases
- date of birth
- residential and postal address
- telephone contact number/s – 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/or Torres Strait Islander
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/or 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, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.
- Relevant social history, including identifying 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.
- Triage of a specialist outpatient referral is based on clinical decision making to allocate an appropriate urgency categorisation.
- Where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
- A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or pregnancy) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
- All new referrals will be triaged by a consultant and appointment times scheduled according to clinical urgency.