Referral guidelines: Dermatology: Inflammatory Dermatoses

Dermatology: Inflammatory Dermatoses

Referral guidelines

CATEGORY DEFINITIONS
These are recommended guidelines for health professionals referring patients for assessments / treatment in a HHS.

within 1 week

within 4 weeks

within 16 weeks

Immediate and Urgent cases must be discussed with the Specialist or Registrar in order to get appropriate prioritisation and then a referral letter sent with the patient, faxed or e-mailed. The times to assessment may vary depending on size and staffing of the hospital department.

Diagnosis	Evaluation	Management Options	Referral Guidelines
	Clinical diagnosis. Biopsy may occasionally be indicated.
	Eczema/Dermatitis	Regular use of moisturisers Treatment of secondary infection Control of inflammation with intermittent courses of topical corticosteroids	Patients with conditions causing significant distress or interfering with childcare/school/work should be referred to dermatologists Category 3
	Psoriasis	Trial of tar-based preparations, dithranol, topical corticosteroids, and/or vitamin D3 analogues	Failed treatment by GP (usually eight weeks or more) - Category 3 Extensive disease or where there is diagnostic difficulty - Category 1
Other References: Differential Diagnosis in Dermatology. Richard Ashton & Barbara Leppard. Radcliffe Medical Press. 1990