Altered bowel habit
Adult

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Emergency Referrals

Useful Management Information

Refer to HealthPathways for assessment and management recommendations.
Consider referring to a dietitian with knowledge and experience in managing gastrointestinal issues

Note: If a patient who has been fully investigated 2 years prior to referral. Then the referrer and the receiving clinician will need to exercise clinical decision making in triaging and or value in repeat endoscopy / colonoscopy procedures

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)	Progressive or persistent symptoms with any of the following concerning features: ≥5% unintentional weight loss within 6 months Gastrointestinal bleeding Iron deficiency in males and non-menstruating females, or unexplained iron deficiency in menstruating females Persistent vomiting Abnormal imaging or mass Bloody or nocturnal diarrhoea Persistent unexplained abdominal pain Personal history of oesophageal, gastric or colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, or Barrett's oesophagus Known colonic polyp(s) overdue for surveillance
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)	Progressive or persistent symptoms despite medical management without concerning features (as defined above) Note: Referrals for conditions such as altered bowel habits should be directed through the most clinically appropriate pathway. This may include a complementary care pathway, a Dietitian First gastroenterology clinic pathway. The triage process should be guided by the patient’s predominant clinical features, the suspected underlying cause, and the investigations or interventions most likely to be required. In some Hospital and Health Services (HHSs), patients may be considered for an initial assessment by a Dietitian, either before or instead of being referred to Gastroenterology. This approach supports appropriate and timely referrals to the most suitable pathway, ensuring patients receive the care that best addresses their specific needs.
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)	Altered bowel habits with no identifiable cause despite previous endoscopy, colonoscopy, and abdominal imaging within the past 2 years, with no significant change in symptoms and normal blood tests (FBC, ELFTs, Iron Studies). Note: Referrals for conditions such as altered bowel habits should be directed through the most clinically appropriate pathway. This may include a complementary care pathway, a Dietitian First gastroenterology clinic pathway. The triage process should be guided by the patient’s predominant clinical features, the suspected underlying cause, and the investigations or interventions most likely to be required. In some Hospital and Health Services (HHSs), patients may be considered for an initial assessment by a Dietitian, either before or instead of being referred to Gastroenterology. This approach supports appropriate and timely referrals to the most suitable pathway, ensuring patients receive the care that best addresses their specific needs.
If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria Assessment and management information may be found on a range of conditions at HealthPathways If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes the patient requires specialist review, a clinical override may be requested: 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

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

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), 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

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

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

Patient and family history of gastrointestinal cancer
ELFTs, FBC, iron studies results
Coeliac serology results
iFOBT/FIT for all patients aged ≥40 years and a faecal calprotectin for patients under 50 years (who meet MBS criteria for testing), particularly if there has been no endoscopy or colonoscopy in the past two years
Symptom duration (> 6 weeks) or negative stool infective screen (Multiplex PCR,C Diff.)

Additional Referral Information

Relevant imaging reports
Thyroid studies

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Medical Objects Account: GQ42150009Z

HealthLink EDI: Qldgchsd

Internal Referrals

Gastroenterology qhRefer

Fax

07 5687 4497

Post

Booking and Referral Centre
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215

Enquiries

1300 559 083

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

HealthPathways home page

Service Availability

Dr Russell Canavan

Medical Director Hepatology, and Gastroenterology

Facilities

Gold Coast University Hospital

Robina Hospital

Varsity Lakes Day Hospital

If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.

Altered bowel habitAdult