Practical Guide for Nursing : Referring the Patient

REFERRING THE PATIENT

Referral

It is the preparation of a patient and the referral records to shift the patient to other department within the hospital or to another hospital.

Purpose

To provide necessary diagnostic tests and procedures, treatments and nursing care which is only available or possible in another department or another hospital.

Nursing Activity

Referral To Another Hospital

Inform the patient and relatives first, if the patient is unconscious then relatives only. If this is not possible and the patient has to be shifted immediately. It must proceed and get the referral form filled by the doctor, side by side try to get in touch with the relatives.

If the patient has been sent before the arrival of the relatives, the nurse must give complete address to them and hand over the patient' s belongings under proper receipt.

Otherwise the steps are the same as for the procedure for the procedure for discharge except instead discharge slip, the patient is sent with a referral form.

Referral To Another Department With The Hospital

When a patient has to be shifted from medical to surgical department, the patient is discharged and readmitted. The procedure is the same as for discharge and admission.

The above the procedure is not usually necessary for a patient who is to be shifted from one medical or surgical ward to another.