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This page contains information for general practitioners on how to refer patients aged 16 years and over to ENT services at Mater Hospital Brisbane
This service includes referrals for hearing loss and balance disorders, ear conditions and ear surgery, cochlear implants, nasal and sinus conditions, tonsil, laryngeal and thyroid surgery and assessment of suspected head and neck cancer
Please note:
How to send a referral
Emergency
Ear
Nose
Throat
Essential information (Referral will be declined without this)
Additional referral information (useful for processing the referral)
Other useful information for management (not an exhaustive list)
Medical management for sinonasal inflammation
Consider the following
Categorisation
Available appointments are provided to our patients based on clinical priority. A process of categorisation ensures safety and equity of access.
Category 1 – urgent
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 30 days
Category 2 –Priority
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 90 days
Category 3 –Routine
Clinically recommended timeframe for initial appointment is 365 days
Nasal obstruction (polyps) and any of the following:
No category 2 criteria
Allergic Rhinitis
Nasal obstruction and any of the following:
Medical Management
Clinical resources
Discharging ear for longer than 3 months failing to settle with topical medication and new onset otalgia, headaches, vertigo (i.e. suspicious for cholesteatoma) and/or radiological confirmation of cholesteatoma (i.e. bony erosion reported)
Discharging ear for longer than 3 months failing to settle with topical medication
Imaging suggestive of possible cholesteatoma (i.e. no bony erosion reported)
No category 3 criteria
Category 2 – Priority
No category 1 criteria
Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) refractory to repeated canalith repositioning manoeuvres (> 3 treatments)
Co-morbid vestibular or otological conditions
Patients where particle repositioning is not advised due to limited range of movement in the neck, or due to general mobility issues that cannot be managed by a physiotherapist/ vestibular physiotherapist
Symptoms not resolved after seeing vestibular physiotherapist
Consider the following:
Suspicion of oropharyngeal lesion - dysphagia and any of the following:
Significant stenotic/dysphagic symptoms and any of the following:
Recurrent chest infections (aspiration pneumonia)
Category 3 – Routine
Recent change to voice and persistent hoarseness which fails to resolve in 4 weeks and any of the following:
Recurrent episodes of hoarseness, altered voice in patient with no other risk factors for malignancy
Persistent discharge despite treatment and disabling pain and/or hearing loss significantly limiting quality of life, education, work
Recurrent episodes of discharging ear
Deteriorating hearing
Recurrent epistaxis with no obvious cause
Associated change in sense of smell
Epiphora
Diplopia
Recurrent epistaxis on a background of nasal trauma
Medical management
Lower motor neuron palsy and any of the following:
Lower motor neuron palsy and otalgia and/or otorrhoea
Vesicles in tympanic membrane and otalgia and/or otorrhoea
Perineural spread from cutaneous SCC with or without sensory changes e.g. tingling, numbness, formiculation
Refer to local Healthpathways or local guidelines.
Confirmed head and neck malignancy
Suspicious solid mass and / or cystic neck lumps > 6 weeks and any of the following:
Rapid progressive severe unilateral or bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and/or vertigo
Bilateral severe to profound hearing loss and any of the following:
Chronic hearing loss - change in symptoms or clinical findings
Acute nasal fracture requiring surgical intervention i.e. external bone displacement (best results for acute nasal fracture are achieved within 2 weeks from time of injury)
NB: Referrer contact needs to be made promptly by either emergency department referral or direct contact with the ENT service
Upper airway obstruction due to tonsillar hypertrophy
Moderate to severe symptoms (e.g. Epworth Sleepiness Scale > 15) and a positive sleep study
Failure of CPAP therapy due to patient anatomical factors e.g. nasal obstruction/deviated septum, tongue size/upper airway anatomy, mandibular anatomy
Suspicious oropharyngeal (lip, tongue, hard/soft palate, uvula, floor of mouth) lesion or mass with any of the following:
Non healing oropharynx ulcer for > 4 weeks
** Please note Mater does not accept referrals for primary parathyroid adenomas - see out of scope section above.**
Chronic and recurrent: persistent symptoms > 8 weeks, and/or > 3 episodes per year or
Failed/not responding to maximal medical management
Confirmed or suspected tumour or hard mass in the salivary glands
Non-invasive management of small stones:
Acute salivary gland inflammation which fails to respond to oral antibiotics within 1 week
Symptomatic salivary stones and/or recurrent symptoms that fail to respond to non-invasive treatment
Cytology confirmed malignancy or suspicious FNA or dominant nodule > 4cm on USS
Compressive symptoms e.g. dyspnoea, hoarseness or dysphagia
Generalised thyroid enlargement without compressive symptoms
Recurrent thyroid cysts
Surveillance of known benign thyroid lumps > 40mm in diameter
Sudden onset or chronic unilateral tinnitus and any of the following:
Suddent onset or chronic unilateral or bilateral pulsatile tinnitus or disabling tinnitus and any of the following:
Follow up of recent barotrauma event (air flight, diving or blast injury)
At the recommendation of local audiologist (highlighting the clinical concerns along with previous audiological report/results)
No Category 3 criteria
NB: Referral is not indicated unless tinnitus is disabling or associated with hearing loss, aural fullness and/or discharge or vertigo
Chronic or recurrent infection with fever/malaise and decreased PO intake:
Mater Health offers patients the opportunity to attend bulk billed clinics. To provide your patient with the opportunity to attend a bulk billed clinic, please provide a named referral to one of the specialists listed above.
If you would like to discuss a referral, including clinical criteria, or update the status of a current patient please contact our priority GP phone line on 07 3163 2200.
We provide up to date data on how long patients are waiting for their first appointment by specialty here.
These Mater Referral Guidelines align with standardised best practice tools for referral to publicly funded specialist outpatient services developed in Queensland through the Clinical Prioritisation Criteria project.
Content last reviewed: 13 December 2023
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