Specialty: General surgery
Age group: Adult
Criteria for referral to public hospital service
- Persisting or intermittent stenosing tenosynovitis (suggested by stiffness, locking, tenderness or painful clicking symptoms that have persisted for longer than 6 months) with functional impairment, that has been unresponsive to at least 3 months of medical management (that is at least 2 of hand therapy, orthotics/splinting, local steroid injection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, alone or in combination)
- Persisting De Quervain’s tenosynovitis with functional impairment, that has been unresponsive to at least 3 months of medical management (that is at least 2 of hand therapy, orthotics/splinting, local steroid injection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, alone or in combination)
- New, intermittent or chronic fixed trigger finger.
Information to be included in the referral
Information that must be provided
- Reason for referral and expectation or outcome, anticipated by the patient, or their carer, and the referring clinician from referral to the health service
- Description of onset, nature, recurrence and duration of symptoms
- Detailed clinical examination with functional assessment
- How symptoms are impacting on daily activities including impact on work, study or carer role
- Range of measurement (ROM) measurements for metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP) and distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints flexion contracture
- Details of previous medical and non-medical management including the course of treatments and outcome of treatments
- History of smoking
- If stenosing tenosynovitis, hand ultrasound
- Statement about the patient’s interest in having surgical treatment if that is a possible intervention.
Provide if available
- Any recent allied health assessments
- Recent ultrasound results
- If the person identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- If the person is part of a vulnerable population.
Additional comments
The Summary and referral information lists the information that should be included in a referral request.
Where appropriate and available the referral may be directed to an alternative specialist clinic or service.
Vulnerable populations include:
- people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- older Australians
- carers of people with chronic conditions
- people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage
- people living in remote, or rural and regional locations
- people with a disability
- people with mental illness
- people who are, or have been, incarcerated.
Vulnerable patient groups also include terminally ill patients, patients with experiences of family violence, in out-of-home care, foster care and those in state care.
Referral to a public hospital is not appropriate for
Not applicable
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