Creating Referrals

Overview

SehaFile's referral system enables doctors to formally refer patients to other specialists within the same clinic (internal referral) or to external clinics registered on the platform (external referral). Each referral includes the reason, diagnosis summary, urgency level, and target specialty. Referrals are tracked with status updates and generate a unique serial number for traceability.

Steps to Create a Referral

1. Open the visit workspace — Navigate to the visit for the patient you want to refer.
2. Click “Create Referral” — This is available in the visit actions menu or via Referrals tab.
3. Specify the target — Fill in:
   • referred_to_doctor — Name of the receiving doctor
   • referred_to_clinic — Clinic name (for external referrals, searchable from platform directory)
   • referred_to_specialty — The target specialty (e.g., Cardiology, Orthopedics, Dermatology)
4. Enter the reason — Explain why the referral is needed in the reason field. Be specific about what you want the specialist to evaluate.
5. Add diagnosis summary — Provide relevant clinical context in the diagnosis_summary field to help the receiving doctor.
6. Set urgency — Select:
   • Routine — Standard appointment scheduling
   • Urgent — Needs to be seen within days
   • Emergency — Immediate attention required
7. Add notes (optional) — Any additional information for the receiving doctor.
8. Submit — The referral is created with status “pending” and a unique serial_number is generated.

Tracking Referral Status

Referrals progress through these statuses:

• pending — Referral created, awaiting acceptance
• accepted — Receiving doctor/clinic has accepted the referral
• completed — The referred consultation has been completed
• cancelled — Referral was cancelled

FAQ

What is the difference between internal and external referrals?

Internal referrals are to other doctors within your clinic (referred_to_clinic is left empty). External referrals specify a different clinic and may use the platform directory for discovery.

Can the patient see their referral?

Yes. Once synced to the citizen profile, the referral details (specialty, reason, urgency) are visible to the patient in their app.

How do I know if a referral was accepted?

The referral status updates to “accepted” when the receiving party acknowledges it. You can track status changes from the Referrals page.