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A Professional Referral Letter is a crucial document in the Australian healthcare system that facilitates communication and care coordination between healthcare providers. It is typically used when a healthcare provider needs to refer a patient to another practitioner for specialized care, additional opinion, or specific treatment. The document must comply with Australian healthcare regulations, including privacy laws and professional practice standards. It contains comprehensive patient information, relevant medical history, current clinical status, and specific consultation requests. This type of referral letter is essential for maintaining continuity of care, ensuring appropriate information transfer, and meeting Medicare requirements for specialist consultations. The document serves as a formal record of the referral process and becomes part of the patient's medical history.

1. Letterhead Information: Referring practitioner's name, practice details, contact information, and professional registration number

2. Date and Recipient Details: Current date and recipient healthcare provider's name, specialty, and complete contact information

3. Patient Demographics: Patient's full name, date of birth, address, contact numbers, and healthcare identifiers (Medicare number, etc.)

4. Referral Purpose: Clear statement of the primary reason for referral and type of consultation requested

5. Clinical Information: Relevant medical history, current condition, symptoms, duration, and severity

6. Current Medications: List of current medications, including dosages and duration of treatment

7. Investigations: Summary of relevant tests performed and results

8. Management to Date: Overview of current and previous treatments and their outcomes

9. Specific Request: Clear statement of what is being asked of the receiving practitioner

10. Urgency Level: Indication of the urgency of the referral (urgent, semi-urgent, routine)