Liver cirrhosis
Adult

Hepatology

Useful Management Information

  • Medical management
  • Screening and vaccination for Hepatitis A
  • Screening and vaccination for Hepatitis B
  • Lifelong monitoring of disease for hepatocellular cancer screening with USS and AFP if advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis disclosure and treatment options
  • Address misuse of other substance (illicit and prescription drugs)
  • Consider cessation of hepatotoxic medication, herbal preparations, supplements, NSAIDs and benzodiazepines
  • Lifestyle modification (increased activity, dietary, weight, smoking, alcohol)

Minimum Referral Criteria

Does your patient meet the minimum referral criteria?
Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days)
  • Suspected or confirmed severe fibrosis or cirrhosis with concerning features
  • Concerning features:
    • Evidence of liver decompensation i.e. jaundice and/or ascites and/or encephalopathy
Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days)
  • Suspected fibrosis or cirrhosis without concerning features
Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days)
  • No category 3 criteria
  • If the patient does not meet the criteria for referral but the referring practitioner believes the patient requires specialist review, a clinical override may be requested:
    • Please explain why (e.g. warning signs or symptoms, clinical modifiers, uncertain about diagnosis, etc.)
  • Please note that your referral may not be accepted or may be redirected to another service.

Essential Referral Information

  • Family history of liver cancer or other liver disease/s
  • Alcohol and medication history
  • Height, weight and BMI
  • ELFT
  • FBC
  • INR results
  • Alpha fetoprotein (AFP) results
  • HBV & HCV serology
  • Iron studies results
  • Upper abdominal Ultrasound report

If a specific test result cannot be obtained due to access, financial, religious, cultural or consent reasons a clinical override may be requested. This reason must be clearly articulated in the body of the referral.

Additional Referral Information

  • Previous endoscopic procedures (date and report)
  • Relevant imaging reports
  • Record of previous liver function tests, imaging and/or liver biopsy results
Last updated 16 July 2021

Send Referrals To

Smart Referrals

Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals

Secure Web Transfer

Send to: Gold Coast Health Service District

Internal Referrals

Hepatology (E-Blueslips)

Fax

(07) 5687 4497

Post

Booking and Referral Centre
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215

Enquiries

1300 559 083

Related HealthPathways

No directly related pathways found

Service Availability

Dr Russell Canavan
Medical Director Hepatology, and Gastroenterology

Facilities

Gold Coast University Hospital

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.

Gold Coast Health - For Clinicians
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