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Gastroenterology · Refer Your Patient
Altered bowel habit
Copied from the official Gold Coast Health condition page (27 Aug 2026). Hospital triage assigns the official category. Live source: Refer Your Patient — Altered bowel habit.
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Cat 1 · 30 days
appointment within 30 calendar days. - Progressive or persistent symptoms that are significantly impacting activities of daily living despite medical management
- Progressive or persistent symptoms with any of the following concerning features:
- Bloody or nocturnal diarrhoea
- Weight loss, ≥5% of body weight in previous 6 months
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Iron deficiency in males and postmenopausal women or unexplained iron deficiency in premenopausal women
- Abnormal imaging
- Patient and family history of bowel cancer or inflammatory bowel disease
Cat 2 · 90 days
appointment within 90 calendar days. - Progressive or persistent symptoms despite medical management without concerning features
Cat 3 · 365 days
appointment within 365 calendar days. - No category 3 criteria
Essential referral information
Referral will be returned without this. If a mandatory test cannot be obtained, say so in the referral.
- Patient and family history of gastrointestinal cancer e.g. relationship to patient, age of cancer diagnosis and type of cancer
- FBC
- TSH
- Iron studies
- Coeliac serology
If a specific test result is unable to 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.
Out of scope / wrong door
- The following conditions are out of scope for this service:
- Screening colonoscopy in asymptomatic patients outside of the NHMRC guidelines
NB: If a patient has been fully investigated 2 years prior to referral, then the referrer and the receiving clinician will need to exercise clinical decision making in triaging and/or value in repeat endoscopy/colonoscopy procedures.
Parent service: Gastroenterology
Send outpatient referrals to
- Smart Referrals preferred (Best Practice or Medical Director)
- Medical Objects GQ42150009Z (lookup qh → QHEALTH, GOLD COAST HEALTH OUTPATIENT)
- HealthLink EDI Qldgchsd
- Fax (07) 5687 4497 — Booking and Referral Centre
- Post: Booking and Referral Centre, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport QLD 4215
- Clinic enquiries 1300 559 083
How to refer — full order
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