Useful Management Information
- Refer to HealthPathways for assessment and management information if available
- The Heart Foundation Hypertension Guidelines provide some additional guidance for patient management.
- Nomenclature has also been redefined by KDIGO and may be worth reassessing
- KHA Fact Sheet – Blood pressure and chronic kidney disease
- Hypertension may impact on a patient’s medical fitness to drive. The Queensland Government’s Transport and Motoring website and Austroads - Assessing Fitness to Drive website has advice about managing driving
Minimum Referral Criteria
Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days) | All hypertension referrals would be triaged to General Medicine , unless the referral contains specific clinical indicators warranting sub-specialist review. Referrals may be allocated to Kidney Medicine, Cardiology, or Endocrinology where clearly justified by comorbidities, diagnostic complexity, or suspected secondary causes of hypertension.
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Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days) |
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Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days) |
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If your patient does not meet the minimum referral criteria
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Essential Referral Information
- Medical History & Clinical Background:
- Detailed medical history emphasising any cardiac, kidney, or endocrine concerns.
- History of blood pressure (BP) measurements (preferred both arms), including 24-hour or home measurements if available.
- Current medication list, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and detailing all treatments tried, including efficacy.
- Kidney Investigations:
- Renin and aldosterone levels.
- Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR).
- Urinalysis results.
- Urine midstream M/C/S (microscopy/culture/sensitivity) for infection, morphology, and casts.
urine albumin:creatinine ratio - Renal artery assessment via kidney duplex report (if stenosis is suspected).
- Imaging & Other Diagnostic Tests:
- Chest X-ray report.
- Laboratory Investigations:
- Full Blood Count (FBC).
- Electrolytes, Liver Function Tests (LFTs).
Additional Referral Information
- History of smoking, alcohol intake and drug use (including recreational drugs)
- Ethnicity highlighting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population especially at risk
- Records and results of investigations pertinent to co-morbidities or tests excluding other secondary causes (e.g., sleep studies).
Send Referrals To
Smart Referrals
Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals
Secure Web Transfer
Gold Coast Health Service District
Internal Referrals
Nephrology qhRefer
Fax
Post
Booking and Referral Centre
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215
Enquiries
Service Availability
Facilities
If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.