GP guidance on referrals
A national referral template has been launched by the ICGP and National GPIT Group. Two pages long and very easy to complete, software packages Health One, Socrates, Helix Practice Manager and Complete GP can now generate the national referral template with large parts of the form completed using information already stored with the electronic patient record.
For GPs not using certified GP software the referral template can be downloaded from www.icgp.ie. The first page of the form seeks information regarding the specialty being referred to, the reason for referral and the GP’s impression of whether the referral is urgent or routine.
The patient’s demographic information and GP details make up the rest of page one. The second page contains a “Symptom” section where the GP indicates the history of the presenting complaint and interventions to date, as well as a section for examination findings. The rest of page two allows the GP software to list past medical history, medications and allergies, as well as relevant social and family history.