Specialty: ENT
Age group: Adult
Direct to an appropriate emergency department for:
- Hoarse voice associated with difficulty in breathing or stridor
- Hoarse voice associated with acute neck or laryngeal trauma.
Criteria for referral to public hospital specialist clinic services
- Persistent hoarseness, or change in voice quality, which fails to resolve in 4 weeks
- Recurrent episodes of hoarseness, or altered voice, in patients with no other risk factors for malignancy.
Information to be included in the referral
Information that must be provided
- Duration of symptoms.
Provide if available
- If patient is a professional voice user
- Any of the following:
- History of smoking
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Recent intubation
- Recent cardiac or thyroid surgery.
Additional comments
The Summary and referral information lists the information that should be included in a referral request.
Where appropriate and available, the referral may be directed to an alternative specialist clinic or service.
Referral to a public hospital is not appropriate for
Not applicable.
Reviewed 27 May 2025