Endocrinology and Diabetes

Patients will be triaged according to their presenting problem and where possible, offered an appointment in a clinic location closest to their home address (subject to appointment availability and waiting times).

Information is available on HealthPathways Melbourne for assistance in managing your patient’s condition. This includes what investigations you need to perform prior to referring to a specialist and what information you need to include in the referral.  If you require login access to HealthPathways, contact [email protected].

For the conditions listed below, referrals should meet the Statewide Referral Criteria for Specialist Clinics:

• Diabetes-related foot complication
• Hyperthyroidism
• Hypothyroidism
• Metabolic bone disease (endocrinology)
• Thyroid mass (endocrinology)
• Type 1 diabetes (endocrinology)
• Type 2 diabetes

For all other Endocrinology and/or Diabetes conditions, please continue to refer as per clinical assessment and need.

For referral information, including how to refer electronically, see Specialist (Outpatients) Clinics.

If your patient’s condition deteriorates, please send an updated referral via HealthLink SmartForms selecting the Referral Continuation “Amended referral/update previously sent referral” with additional clinical information.

Emergency cases should be sent to the Emergency Department.

It is the study of hormones, which are chemical signals produced by various organs to influence the working of other organs within the body.
To find out more, visit the US Endocrine Society website here or visit the Australian site here.

Diabetes is a condition in which there is too much glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is caused by a lack of the hormone, insulin which is normally produced by the pancreas.

Symptoms include:

• Thirst
• Tiredness
• Frequent / excessive urination
• Persistent infections, such as genital thrush
• Weight loss
• Blurring of vision

If you have any of these symptoms, please see your GP for a blood test. Detecting diabetes early is very important so that the right treatment can be started to bring your blood sugars levels into the normal range. This will prevent long term complications of kidney failure, amputations, blindness, impotence, heart disease and stroke.

For more information, you can visit:

www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
www.diabetesvic.org.au
www.adips.org

• If you are a clinic patient at Eastern Health, or you have just been discharged from hospital, and need some urgent advice, you can see your GP or ring our Diabetes Educators during business hours on 9895 3445; if out of hours, ring our Endocrinology Registrar on 1300 342 255
• If your sugars are high and you are vomiting, please come to the Emergency Department

Click here for more information.

• Medicare Card
• Referral letter (if you have one)
• Previous x-rays, scans, ultrasounds, blood test reports – if you don’t have your blood test reports, please arrange to get them from your GP or find out the name of the Pathology Lab you went to
• Medication list, including vitamin and herbal supplements
• Adverse drug alert card, if you have one
• If you have diabetes, bring your blood glucose meter, your blood glucose diary/record book
• A book, or craft