Indications for referral for clinic appointment:
- Vestibular function testing required to investigate dizziness.
- Complex hearing changes.
- Sudden hearing changes not requiring review in ED.
- Hearing testing for people who are at least 3 years old.
- Chronic dizziness.
The following conditions should be immediately referred to the Emergency Department
- Sudden hearing loss.
- Dizziness where a serious diagnosis is suspected.
Exclusion criteria:
- Hearing screening in children. Please refer to community hearing
- Hearing aid assessment. Please refer to Australian hearing or privately.
- Assessment of children under 3. Please refer to the Macquarie University Audiology Clinic, Hearing Australia, Westmead Children's Hospital and Sydney Children's Hospital
Out of NSLHD:
- Reason must be stated explicitly
- Resident of other LHD that does not provide the clinical service
- Continuing care of existing condition already managed by NSLHD clinics
- Demonstrated complexity requiring services of NSLHD
- Compassionate circumstances, e.g. family, proximity, staff
The following information must be included for referral to be accepted:
- Description of symptom(s) and onset, duration(s), and trigger(s).
- Previous relevant assessments or letters are often helpful.
Providing more information will aid the triage process and make it more likely that your patient will be seen in the timeliest manner possible and the most appropriate test will be undertaken on the day.
Please submit referrals using the eReferral system through HealthLink.
Alternatively, address letters to either Audiology Department, Hans Satyan (for audiology specialist), or Dr Jacob Pogson (for vestibular specialist) and send to:
Referrals will be triaged and your patient will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible. This process may take between 1-4 weeks. You will be contacted if more information is needed.
Further information to assist referrers
- Adults and children 3+ years:
- For hearing assessments of children <3 years of age please refer to the Macquarie University Hearing Clinic, the RIDBC Jim Patrick Audiology Centre, or the Children’s Hospitals at Westmead, Randwick, or the John Hunter Hospital.
- Hearing loss:
- Unilateral and bilateral – in one or two ears
- Sensorineural and conductive – with or without blocked/fullness sensation or tinnitus (ringing/buzzing sound)
- Sudden and progressive – a sudden loss of hearing (over < 3 days) is a neurological emergency. Please present to the Emergency Department as soon as possible
- Vertigo (false sensation of spinning):
- Acute – a sudden onset of constant vertigo lasting hours is a neurologic emergency. Please present to the Emergency Department as soon as possible
- Episodic – occurring regularly from days to months apart
- Triggered – by sound, pressure, head position, etc.
- Dizziness:
- Acute – a sudden onset of constant dizziness lasting hours is a neurologic emergency. Please present to the Emergency Department as soon as possible
- Chronic – last months to years
- Diagnostic equipment:
- Pure Tone Audiometry
- Tympanometry and immittance
- Otoacoustic omissions (DPOAE, TEOAE)
- Video head impulse test (vHIT)
- Video-oculography (VOG)
- Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs)
- Caloric test
An example list of conditions for diagnosis:
- Auditory:
- Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), with and without vertigo
- Otitis media (middle ear inflammation), with and without effusion (OME)
- Otosclerosis
- Presbyacusis (age-related hearing loss)
- Tympanic membrane perforations
- We do not provide hearing tests for insurance/compensation claims
- Vestibular:
- Meniere’s Disease (MD)
- Semicircular Canal Dehiscence (SCD)
- Vestibular neuritis (VN)
- Bilateral vestibular loss (BVL)
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
- Vestibular Migraine (VM)
- We do not currently provide rehabilitation for vestibular/balance disorders, except for Benign Positional Vertigo (BPV). Please see your local vestibular physiotherapist or contact us for recommendations.
- We do not provide services for auditory rehabilitation e.g., hearing aids or cochlear implants. Please see Hearing Australia or other accredited audiologists.
- We do not provide treatment services for chronic tinnitus. Please refer to the Macquarie University Hearing Clinic.