Fatigue referral checklist

Urgency tier

• Immediate emergency assessment for cardiorespiratory instability, sudden focal neurologic deficits, or rapidly progressive weakness; do not delay for the pre-referral workup.
• Expedited referral for progressive symptoms with red-flag systemic features.
• Routine referral for persistent unexplained fatigue after initial evaluation.

Minimum pre-referral workup

• Symptom timeline and functional-impact assessment.
• Baseline targeted workup guided by clinical pattern.
• Medication, sleep, mood, and chronic-disease review.

Referral packet checklist

• Structured history with red-flag screen findings.
• Objective data, tests completed, and trend summary.
• Comorbidities and current medication list.

Pre-referral optimization tasks

• Reinforce return precautions for worsening weakness or instability.
• Continue supportive measures and interval reassessment.
• Document unresolved diagnostic questions for specialist focus.

References

• Choosing Wisely Canada recommendations (opens in a new tab)

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