Wounds of uncertain cause or non-healing ulcers

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.

Wounds of uncertain cause or non-healing ulcers

  • Severe cellulitis with ongoing or worsening systemic symptoms or fevers despite oral antibiotics for 48 hours
  • Foot ulcer in diabetic patient that is not responding to oral antibiotics and regular wound cleaning
  • Any infected ulcer associated with systemic inflammatory response symptoms (SIRS) or excessive pain or features suggestive of abscess formation, osteomyelitis or deep tissue infection (necrotising fasciitis)
  • Acute Charcot arthropathy
  • Ulcers or wounds in a limb with markedly compromised circulation

Other

  • Any condition defined by other CPCs as requiring referral to emergency
Useful Management Information
Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1
(appointment within 30 calendar days)

  • Wound or ulcer of uncertain aetiology that is progressing in size despite adequate dressings and leg elevation
  • Uncomplicated foot ulcer in diabetic patient of recent onset
  • Suspected malignant ulcer
  • Acute onset varicose or arterial ulcer
  • Acute onset ulcer in patients receiving high dose steroids or immunosuppressive agents
Category 2
(appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Subacute or chronic ulcer of uncertain aetiology that is not responding to appropriate treatment
Category 3
(appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • No category 3 criteria

If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria

  • Consider other treatment pathways or an alternative diagnosis
  • If you still need to refer your patient:
    • Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
    • Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service
Standard Referral Information

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

Without this information the referral will be returned

  • General referral information
  • Relevant medical history, comorbidities (particularly diabetes, neuropathy, peripheral arterial disease, cognitive impairment, drug abuse, mental health problems) and medications
  • Wound history
    • duration
    • description and size
    • wound initiating event
    • presence of peripheral pulses if limb wound
  • Investigations (if performed)
    • any biopsies of the wound
    • for leg ulcers, include:
      • arterial studies / Ankle Brachial Pressure Index
      • venous incompetence studies (note NOT venous ultrasound for acute DVT)
  • Treatment history - including
    • wound care provided to date (including antibiotics, topical ointments, etc)
    • service provider (i.e. GP, practice nurse or domiciliary nursing service)
  • FBC, U&E, creatinine & LFT results
Additional Referral Information
  • Residential status (lives alone, support networks, etc)
  • Access to wound care services, domiciliary nursing
  • Smoking status
  • Nutritional status / dietary intake / serum albumin
  • HbA1c / blood sugar control (if patient has diabetes)
Clinical Override

Clinical override of referral criteria may be requested in the following situations:

  • Inability to include essential referral information. If a specific test result is unable to be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons.
  • Patient does not meet minimum referral criteria. If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes that the patient requires specialist review.
  • Presence of clinical modifiers. The presence of clinical modifiers (as listed above in Standard referral information) may impact on the categorisation of a patient.

Include the reason for request for clinical override as part of the referral. Referrals are reviewed by the triaging specialist who determines the most appropriate course of action.

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.