Pyrexia of unknown origin
Adult

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Emergency Referrals

Useful Management Information

Significant fever that has persisted for longer than an acute self-limiting illness would be expected to and disease has not been identified despite reasonable investigations
Encourage the patient or carer to keep a diary of fevers and associated symptoms
Include thorough history, physical examination and investigations in referral to guide triaging and further investigations
Baseline investigations are 3 sets of blood cultures (off antibiotics or if on, please note on referral), urine culture, full blood count and film, renal and liver function testing, C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Further testing to be directed by history and examination findings, at the discretion of the referring practitioner. These may include the following:
- viral serologies: HIV, EBV, CMV
- bacterial serologies: syphilis, bartonella, Q-fever, Brucella, Legionella, chlamydia
- malaria testing
- other: autoimmune screening; thyroid function testing, testing for sarcoidosis and ferritin levels; biopsies of relevant lesions
Other useful adjunct radiologic testing may include: CXR, CT scanning of chest/abdomen/pelvis, echocardiography
Referral information must include antibiotics prescribed (name, dose, duration, dates administered)

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)	All Pyrexia of Unknown Origin
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)	No category 2 criteria
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)	No category 3 criteria
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

Symptom history
Travel history
Sexual history
Medication (including antibiotic) and vaccination history
Results of recommended investigations as discussed above

Additional Referral Information

Fever diary
Additional serology, biopsies or imaging results such as PET scans
Relevant family history

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Not Available

Secure Web Transfer

Not Available

Internal Referrals

(E-Blueslips)

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 Kylie Alcorn

Medical Director Infectious Diseases

Facilities

Gold Coast University Hospital

Robina 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.

Pyrexia of unknown originAdult