Making and tracking referrals
Instruction
In this topic you will learn about referrals and why tracking them is important.
Contacting parents/caregivers
If a child needs a referral to eye and/or ear care personnel, the school will explain this to parents/caregivers.
Parents/caregivers are then given information on where to take their child using a Notification form.
Instruction
If you haven’t already, print the Notification form.
You can also find the form in the Vision and hearing screening for school-age children implementation handbook.
Why is tracking referrals important?
The main purpose of the screening programme is to identify children who need referral to eye and/or ear care personnel.
However, children may not be taken to services they have been referred to. When this happens, the programme has not been successful.
Unfortunately, the consequences can be serious.
It is important to:
- Track attendance at follow up appointments
- Communicate with parents/caregivers to encourage them and help them find ways to take their children to referral appointments.
Follow up referral list
The Follow up referral list helps the screener and school keep track of children who have been referred.
- Use the follow up referral list to track whether children who have been referred have been seen by ear or eye care personnel
- If children have not attended an appointment, the school screening coordinator can meet or speak with parents/ caregivers to understand why.
Remember Jabari?
Jabari (the school screening coordinator) received a message about a child who has not been for their follow up appointment.
Jabari calls the family. He finds out that they are worried about taking time off work. Jabari is able to reassure them that the eye care service they have been referred to also offers evening appointments.