Pulmonology Referral Coordination

---
name: pulmonology-referral-coordination
description: |
  Refer patients with lung and breathing conditions onward and coordinate with other professionals and services.
  TRIGGERS - Use when a pulmonologist needs a referral & coordination for patients with lung and breathing conditions in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory.
category: Pulmonology
license: MIT
version: 1.0
---
# Referral & Coordination — Pulmonology

Refer patients with lung and breathing conditions onward and coordinate with other professionals and services. The deliverable is a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked.
This skill is written for a pulmonologist working with patients with lung and breathing conditions in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory.

## When to use
- You are a pulmonologist preparing, delivering or reviewing this part of your work in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory.
- You need a defensible, repeatable approach that produces a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked.
- A colleague, auditor or client asks how this was done and what evidence supports it.

## Key Concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Spirometry | a breathing test measuring how much and how fast air moves |
| Exacerbation | a sudden worsening of a chronic condition |
| Hypoxia | abnormally low oxygen levels in the body |

## Workflow
1. **Step 1** - Confirm the referral is appropriate: what patients with lung and breathing conditions need that sits outside the pulmonologist scope in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory
2. **Step 2** - Prepare the referral from spirometry reports — relevant history, current status, the specific question being asked
3. **Step 3** - With consent, send the referral and log who received it and when; chase non-responses on a set schedule
4. **Step 4** - Share incoming findings back into the main record so the plan and spirometry quality rate stay joined up
5. **Step 5** - Close the loop with patients with lung and breathing conditions: explain what happens next, who owns it, and what to do if things worsen — mindful of missed lung cancer signs

## Profession-Specific Components
| Component | Details for Pulmonology |
|-----------|-------------------------------|
| Core documentation | spirometry reports; sleep study results; bronchoscopy reports; oxygen assessments |
| Core tools & equipment | spirometers; bronchoscopes; non-invasive ventilators; sleep study equipment |
| People involved | patients with lung and breathing conditions; the pulmonologist; colleagues and other services in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory |
| Primary record | spirometry reports — keep it current, dated and attributable |

## Output Format
**Context:** [Situation in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory] | **Objective:** [What this must achieve] | **Audience:** [patients with lung and breathing conditions and other stakeholders]

The finished output is a referral pack and a coordination log with responses tracked, structured as:
1. Summary of position and evidence
2. Detail, following the workflow above
3. Decisions, actions, owners and dates
4. Review point and escalation route

### Action Plan
1. **Immediate:** Confirm scope, consent and the evidence available in spirometry reports.
2. **Short-term:** Complete the workflow steps and record outcomes against spirometry quality rate.
3. **Medium-term:** Review results, close actions, and update local procedures in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory.

## Success Metrics
| Metric | Target | Method |
|--------|--------|--------|
| spirometry quality rate | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from spirometry reports and reviewed on a set cycle |
| COPD exacerbation readmissions | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from spirometry reports and reviewed on a set cycle |
| oxygen assessment timeliness | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from spirometry reports and reviewed on a set cycle |
| clinic outcomes | Agree a local target and track the trend | Measured from spirometry reports and reviewed on a set cycle |

## Guardrails & Quality Checks
- Never let this happen: missed lung cancer signs.
- Never let this happen: ventilator-associated harm.
- Never let this happen: untreated sleep apnoea.
- Work only within the competence and authority of a pulmonologist; escalate or refer anything beyond it.
- Record facts and observations, not speculation, and keep records confidential to a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory's rules.
- Verify names, dates, figures and measurements twice before anything is issued or signed off.
- Use only real, verified information from the case in hand — never invent results, credentials or evidence.

## Example (illustrative)
A pulmonologist in a respiratory ward and lung function laboratory applies this workflow for patients with lung and breathing conditions: they open
spirometry reports, work through the five steps using spirometers, and close by recording
the outcome against spirometry quality rate and agreeing the next review date. (Illustrative example only —
replace with the real details of the case in hand.)