Use case
Check a referral has what the specialist needs
Before you refer, ask what the receiving clinic will need that the sources do not yet show. Then draft the letter from the same sources.
The situation
Start from a real clinical day
Dr. Alex Sample plans to refer John Smith, 42, to cardiology with intermittent fast palpitations. He has a resting ECG and some lab results.
A referral that arrives without the basics comes back with questions, and the patient waits longer.
Add these sources to the workspace
- 1
The visit note
- 2
The resting ECG report
- 3
Recent lab results
- 4
The medication list
- 5
A local referral template
What you ask
Ask for what you need in your own words
What would a cardiology referral for palpitations normally include that these sources do not contain? Then draft the referral letter using the template.
Get a list of gaps
You see items such as thyroid function and a family history of sudden cardiac death that the sources do not mention.
Get a draft letter
You get a referral that puts the question first, then the history and results with dates, and the urgency.
Get an editable document
The draft opens in the editor, where you change it and export it to PDF or Word.
Before you use it
Check these before you file anything
You edit every draft and make every clinical decision. Check each answer against the source it names.
- 1
Check urgency against your local referral pathway
- 2
Check every quoted value against its source
- 3
Confirm the question is the one you want answered
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own referral template?
Yes. Add it as a template and choose it when you draft. The draft follows its headings.
More
Keep exploring
- Read a patient's whole history in an emergency
An emergency doctor loads 15 years of records and asks for the allergies, blood thinners, airway history and wishes that shape the next hour.
- Prepare for a new patient with a thick referral
A cardiologist adds a referral and years of letters and results to one workspace, asks for the relevant history and results with dates, and checks each one before clinic.
- Review new results against the history
A family physician adds a batch of new lab results next to earlier ones and the visit note, asks what changed and what bears on the complaint, and checks units and dates.