Referrals

Iron deficiency anemia referral checklist

Baseline labs, red flags, and referral note elements for iron deficiency anemia workup.

Last reviewed 2026-01-05|anemia | hematology | workup

At a glance

Fast checkpoints for point-of-care decisions.

Minimum pre-referral workup

Urgency tier and escalation triggers

Referral packet essentials

Pre-referral optimization tasks

Start or continue iron replacement when appropriate and tolerated.
Investigate and mitigate active bleeding sources manageable in primary care.
Reinforce urgent return precautions for syncope, chest pain, or ongoing significant bleeding.

Confirm workup completeness, urgency tiering, and referral packet quality before submission.

Verify baseline investigations are complete and recent.

Separate urgent pathways from routine referral flow.

Include all mandatory data to reduce rejected referrals.

Address interim safety, optimization, and follow-up steps before handoff.

Start or continue iron replacement when appropriate and tolerated.
Investigate and mitigate active bleeding sources manageable in primary care.
Reinforce urgent return precautions for syncope, chest pain, or ongoing significant bleeding.

Jump to

CBC with indices and reticulocyte count if available.
Ferritin and iron studies (transferrin saturation).
B12 and folate if macrocytosis or mixed picture.
Review for bleeding sources and medication contributors (NSAIDs, anticoagulants).
Consider celiac serology if iron deficiency is unexplained.

Start or continue iron replacement when appropriate and tolerated.
Investigate and mitigate active bleeding sources manageable in primary care.
Reinforce urgent return precautions for syncope, chest pain, or ongoing significant bleeding.