Seizures/ epilepsy
Adult

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Emergency Referrals

Useful Management Information

Ensure compliance, consider drug levels if non-compliance is suspected
Optimise current drug therapy/consider increasing dose if already on medication
Exclude drug interactions e.g. concurrent cytochrome inducers, binding agents
Reconsider diagnosis if no response to medication
Treat any inter-current infections and co-morbidities
Address any lifestyle issues e.g. adequate sleep, stress, alcohol, recreational drugs
Adequate chronic disease/lifestyle (SNAP) management is a requirement for most surgical procedures
Clinical urgency is the dominant consideration in the prioritisation of a referral for a child currently in out of home care (OOHC), or at risk of entering or leaving OOHC

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?

Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)	New diagnosis of epilepsy (confirmed or highly likely) without a review by neurologist First epileptic seizure (as convulsive syncope is a common mimic, may be seen by general medicine prior to neurology, depending on local pathways) Frequent epileptic seizure activity with current use of antiseizure medications Documented increased frequency of generalised tonic-clonic or bilaterial tonic clonic seizures in patient with good adherence to medical treatment Pregnancy in a patient with known epilepsy
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)	Poorly controlled epilepsy (e.g. increased frequency of seizures, change in seizure activity) in patient with good adherence to medical treatment. (This may be categorised as Cat 1 depending on severity) Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) / Suspected dissociative attacks* seeking clarification of diagnosis *Suspected dissociative seizures should be triaged according to the social and medical impact of their epileptic-seizure counterparts rather than based on the (suspected) cause
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)	Chronic epilepsy without any concerning features. Concerning features include: Persistent focal deficit post-ictally seizure associated with recent trauma persistent severe headache > 1 hour post-ictally seizure with fever Epilepsy advice and management plan including driving recommendations and decreasing anti-epileptic medication
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

History of seizures
Medication history, including non-prescription medications, herbs and supplements
Management history of epilepsy (including previous medication, dosage, efficacy, side effects)

Additional Referral Information

ELFT
FBC
EEG results
Neuroimaging results
Drug level results (if available)
Family history
Drug and alcohol history
Sleep studies
HIV syphilis

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Send to: Gold Coast Health Service District

Internal Referrals

Neurology (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 Saman Heshmat

Medical Director Neurology

Facilities

Gold Coast University 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.

Seizures/ epilepsyAdult