Referrals

Pregnancy complication referral checklist

Referral checklist for pregnancy bleeding/pain presentations requiring urgent obstetric pathway coordination.

Last reviewed 2026-02-07|pregnancy | obstetrics | urgent

At a glance

Fast checkpoints for point-of-care decisions.

Minimum pre-referral workup

Urgency tier and escalation triggers

Same-day emergency escalation for hemodynamic instability, heavy bleeding, syncope, or severe unilateral pain.
Expedited referral for persistent bleeding/pain in clinically stable patients needing urgent obstetric follow-up.
Routine referral is generally not appropriate when active complication concern is present.

Referral packet essentials

Pre-referral optimization tasks

Provide clear return precautions for worsening pain, bleeding, dizziness, or fever.
Confirm safe transport and contact pathway for urgent reassessment.
Document communication handoff details to receiving service.

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.

Same-day emergency escalation for hemodynamic instability, heavy bleeding, syncope, or severe unilateral pain.
Expedited referral for persistent bleeding/pain in clinically stable patients needing urgent obstetric follow-up.
Routine referral is generally not appropriate when active complication concern is present.

Include all mandatory data to reduce rejected referrals.

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

Provide clear return precautions for worsening pain, bleeding, dizziness, or fever.
Confirm safe transport and contact pathway for urgent reassessment.
Document communication handoff details to receiving service.

Jump to

Same-day emergency escalation for hemodynamic instability, heavy bleeding, syncope, or severe unilateral pain.
Expedited referral for persistent bleeding/pain in clinically stable patients needing urgent obstetric follow-up.
Routine referral is generally not appropriate when active complication concern is present.

Provide clear return precautions for worsening pain, bleeding, dizziness, or fever.
Confirm safe transport and contact pathway for urgent reassessment.
Document communication handoff details to receiving service.