Physiotherapy referrals
Our physiotherapists have specialised skills and knowledge in women’s health and neonatal physiotherapy which enables them to provide expert care to preterm and term babies, ante and postnatal women and older women. They provide inpatient and outpatient care for hospital patients.
Physiotherapy treatment focuses on maintaining and restoring normal function, minimising pain and dysfunction and improving quality of life. Treatment techniques may include the use of manual therapy, education, movement re-education, exercise prescription and electrotherapy equipment.
Our physiotherapists provide assessment and treatment of:
- Musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy and after childbirth.
- Pelvic floor dysfunction including incontinence and prolapse.
- Bowel dysfunction such as obstructed defecation and incontinence.
- Sexual dysfunction including dyspareunia, vulval pain and vaginal stenosis.
- Vulval conditions including vulvodynia.
- Persistent pelvic pain.
- Neurodevelopmental needs of preterm infants and newborn conditions such as positional talipes, torticollis, plagiocephaly and brachial plexus injury.
- Complications associated with treatment for women’s cancers including lymphoedema, bladder / bowel dysfunction, vaginal stenosis and medically or surgically induced menopausal symptoms.
Inpatient referral guidelines
Assessment, treatment and consultation is available for all women’s health and paediatric inpatients at KEMH.
Women’s health referrals
- Accepted from consultants, registrars, residents and other allied health staff.
- Nursing staff may refer patients either verbally or by putting patient information in the Physiotherapy Referral Book on each ward.
Paediatric referrals
- Accepted from consultants, registrars, residents and other allied health staff.
- Nursing staff may verbally refer patients if asked by the medical team.
Outpatient referral guidelines
Paediatric outpatients
Referrals are accepted from:
- KEMH consultants, registrars and residents.
- Neonatal Follow-Up Co-ordinator or home visiting nurse.
- Allied health professionals.
- Midwifery or nursing staff within the Mother and Baby Unit and Breastfeeding Centre.
- Parents of infants in the Neonatal Follow-Up Program, until one-year Corrected Age (CA).
Outpatient physiotherapy is only available to infants in the Neonatal Follow-Up Program. This service is available up to one-year corrected age (CA).
Conditions not accepted include:
- Talipes – structural talipes is managed by the Orthopaedics Department at Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH). The referral should be faxed to them by KEMH medical staff. Positional talipes is managed by the Child Development Centre who accept referrals via the online referral system from a child health nurse, GP or the parents.
- Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy (OBPP) – an initial assessment will be provided by the KEMH physiotherapist and then management is transferred to the Plastics and Physiotherapy Departments at PCH.
Women’s health outpatients
Outpatient physiotherapy is available to women of all ages, who are attending KEMH outpatient clinics for antenatal care or for management of gynaecology, oncology, sexual health or urogynaecology problems. Appointments are allocated in order of urgency and staff availability.
Self-referrals will be accepted from antenatal women who are giving birth at KEMH and postnatal women for up to six months after giving birth at the hospital.
Referrals are accepted for women who attend an outpatient clinic at KEMH. These referrals may be from a medical officer, nursing or allied health staff. Outpatient clinic referrals should be written on a consultation request form and forwarded to the Physiotherapy Department.