Hearing loss confirmed with audiology – requiring ENT Investigation/Management (ENT) (PAED)
PAEDIATRIC
-
If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- Suspicion of sudden sensorineural hearing loss
- Hearing loss with associated neurological signs e.g. facial nerve palsy, profound vertigo
-
- Consider referral to speech pathology or child health clinician for developmental speech and language screening in children
- Meningitis – there is a very high risk of cochlea ossification following bacterial meningitis, which can occur rapidly, and inhibit cochlear surgery. Urgent referral to audiology should be made for any child who has not yet had a hearing assessment following meningitis. Any patient identified with significant hearing loss post-meningitis infection, should be referred to ENT urgently for radiological assessment and consideration of cochlear implantation.
- For permanent hearing loss – refer to Childhood Hearing Clinic or equivalent / Paediatrician
- Refer to HealthPathways or local guidelines
- Clinical urgency is the dominant consideration in the prioritisation of a referral for a child currently in out of home care (OOHC), or at risk of entering or leaving OOHC.
- Queensland public hospitals do not dispense conventional or standard hearing aids #Except for adults who meet criteria for Princess Alexandra’s crisis care hearing aid bank
- Queensland Health Audiologists provide diagnostic hearing assessments which may result in a recommendation for hearing aids and/or an ENT opinion, but not the fitting of hearing aids.
- Hearing aids for children and young adults (<26 years) are provided through Hearing Australia (Hearing Australia (Children and Young Adults)
- Early Intervention is essential for children with permanent hearing loss. Options for Early Intervention can be found in the Choices e-book.
Clinical resources
- If you have a reason to suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm, or is at risk of experiencing harm, you need to contact Child Safety Services: Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety
- Statement of intent – the prioritisation of health services for children and young people in the child protection system
| Category 1 (appointment within 30 calendar days) |
|
| Category 2 (appointment within 90 calendar days) |
|
| Category 3 (appointment within 365 calendar days) |
|
Please insert the below information and minimum referral criteria into referral
1. Reason for request Indicate on the referral
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
2. Essential referral information Referral will be returned without this
- Clarification of meningitis i.e. bacterial or viral
- Audiology reports and/or current audiograms (except when will unduly delay referral e.g. meningitis)
- Confirmation of OOHC (where relevant)
- Indigenous Status
3. Additional referral information Useful for processing the referral
- Location of child’s Hearing Australia Clinic
4. Request
-
Patient's Demographic Details
- Full name (including aliases)
- Date of birth
- Residential and postal address
- Telephone contact number/s – home, mobile and alternative
- Medicare number (where eligible)
- Name of the parent or caregiver (if appropriate)
- Preferred language and interpreter requirements
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Referring Practitioner Details
- Full name
- Full address
- Contact details – telephone, fax, email
- Provider number
- Date of referral
- Signature
Relevant clinical information about the condition
- Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
- Physical findings
- Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
- Current medications and dosages
- Drug allergies
- Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use
Reason for request
- To establish a diagnosis
- For treatment or intervention
- For advice and management
- For specialist to take over management
- Reassurance for GP/second opinion
- For a specified test/investigation the GP can't order, or the patient can't afford or access
- Reassurance for the patient/family
- For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
- Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary
Clinical modifiers
- Impact on employment
- Impact on education
- Impact on home
- Impact on activities of daily living
- Impact on ability to care for others
- Impact on personal frailty or safety
- Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
Other relevant information
- Willingness to have surgery (where surgery is a likely intervention)
- Choice to be treated as a public or private patient
- Compensable status (e.g. DVA, Work Cover, Motor Vehicle Insurance, etc.)
-
If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or follow local emergency care protocols or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.
- Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated public allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating, or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
Last updated: 16 January 2025
© State of Queensland (Queensland Health) 2023
Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced, communicated or adapted without permission from Queensland Health. To request permission email ip_officer@health.qld.gov.au1.