If any of the following are present or suspected, refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- Any suspicions Mastoiditis (proptosis of pinna), meningitis or other complication of ASOM
- Trauma
- New onset facial nerve palsy
- Refer to Paediatric ENT CPC, Health pathways or local guidelines
- If child wears a hearing aid, consider impact of the condition on the ability to wear the device
- Consider speech/language development, behaviour and educational issues
- Consider auto-inflation for management of middle ear effusion for children likely to cooperate (NICE Clinical Guideline, 2008)
- Management of environmental factors
Queensland public hospitals do not dispense conventional or standard hearing aids. Aids for children, veterans, pensioners, ADF or NDIS participants with hearing needs are fitted by local audiologists via application to the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (Hearing service program). For non-eligible patients with a symmetrical mild, moderate or severe hearing loss, refer to a local private hearing aid provider.
Queensland Health Audiologists provide diagnostic hearing assessments which may result in a recommendation for hearing aids and/or an ENT opinion, but not the fitting of hearing aids.
Clinical resources
- ENT CPC
- Recommendations for clinical care guidelines on the management of Otitis Media in Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander populations (2010)
Patient resources
Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
| Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days) |
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| Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days) |
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| Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days) |
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Patient's Demographic Details
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date and country of birth
- Residential and postal address including whether patient resides at an aged care facility
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Name of delegate and contact details (Department of Corrective Services)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Any special needs, access requirements and/or disability relevant to the referral
Referring Practitioner Details
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
- Nominated general practitioner’s details (if known), if the nominated general practitioner is different from the referring practitioner
Relevant clinical information about the condition
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- All conservative options that have been pursued unsuccessfully prior to referral
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes, BMI), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Any special care requirements where relevant (e.g. tracheostomy in place, oxygen required)
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
Reason for request
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Clinical modifiers
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living functioning – low/medium/high
- 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
Essential referral information
- Medical management to date
- Description of
- Onset, duration, frequency, severity
- Previous ENT history
- Social modifiers i.e effect on home schooling, out of home residence
- Developmental milestone
- Family history of childhood hearing loss in patient’s parents or siblings
- Speech and language or other developmental delays including behavioural issues and learning difficulties
- Syndromes known to be related to hearing loss including Down syndrome
- Ear swab M/C/S results
- Previous audiology assessment results if applicable/available
- Results of Health Assessment for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People
Out of catchment
West Moreton Health is responsible for providing a public health service to people who reside within its catchment area. To appropriately manage demand for service we do not accept referrals from outside this catchment area. If your patient does live outside the West Moreton Health area and it is deemed socially or clinically necessary for their care to be received in the West Moreton Health Service, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and/or social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.
Feedback
To provide feedback about contents on this website or general referral questions please email WM-CPC@health.qld.gov.au or phone 3413 7402.