Referral form for practitioners (PDF):  The Iron Infusion Clinic referral form

 

A referral to the iron infusion service includes a consultation/oversight with one of our haematologists to confirm eligibility for the service as well as to consider the cause and recommend or arrange further investigation of the iron deficiency where appropriate. Alternatives to intravenous iron may be more suitable for some patients, and this will be discussed and considered at each consultation.

Intravenous iron is generally indicated for the following groups:

• Patients with anaemia and/or significant iron deficiency where oral iron is/has been poorly tolerated.
• Where there is actual or suspected poor absorption of oral iron.
• Where anaemia/iron deficiency needs to be more rapidly corrected.
• Iron deficiency (including non-anaemic) in pregnancy beyond 20 weeks – iron absorption is impaired in pregnancy, and iron needs dramatically increase from this point.

The service is available for all suitable patients including pregnant women and adolescents. For children under the age of 14, suitability will be decided on a case by case basis.

Referral Process

The process for access to the iron infusion clinic is as follows;

1. Referral from GP, specialist or eligible nurse practitioner.
2. The Iron Infusion Clinic will make contact with the patient (patients are also welcome to contact us to make an appointment directly).
3. The Iron Infusion Clinic will generate a prescription for the patient to pick up from a pharmacy of their choosing (generally eScript).
4. Patient brings iron to their appointment – consultation time with the haematologist is 15-20 mins, infusion time is approximately 20 mins, with a further 20 minutes post-infusion observation. Patients should allow an hour in total.