Start here
What to know
Keep the first WhatsApp message non-identifying. Share names, records, medicine lists and clinical images only through the secure intake route supplied after consent.
Use this tool now
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For this situation
What matters in this situation
Main concern to resolve
Choose the right care setting and next step.
Information that changes the plan
Use observable or confirmed details about the non-identifying referral question and urgency, date the worksheet and name the person responsible for the next action.
Question to ask
Which fields can be completed from observation or confirmed information, and who owns the next action?
Decision checklist
Questions to answer now
- What is the non-identifying referral question and urgency?
- Which access, mobility or communication facts affect the handover?
- Who will receive the referral, provide the secure route and confirm follow-up?
Before contacting
What to prepare
- Start with the patient area, non-identifying referral question and urgency.
- State the referrer role, callback time and practical access or communication needs.
- Request the receiving provider, named contact and secure intake route.
- Send patient-identifying records only through that route after consent and confirm who owns follow-up.
Professional referral enquiry
Request a secure route for a professional referral
Send only the service area, referral reason and a suitable callback time. The provider can then give you a secure route for patient-identifying records.
Add referral timing and facility details (optional)
Do not include the patient’s name, IC number, full record, medication list or clinical images in this WhatsApp message.
Add the area, non-identifying referral reason and best contact time to prepare the message.
Before sharing records: Confirm the receiving provider, named contact, secure intake route, practitioner details, intended scope and who is responsible for follow-up.
When another setting is safer
What this tool cannot decide
- The first-contact form and WhatsApp message are not a secure clinical-record channel. Request and test the provider’s secure intake route before sharing identifying records.
FAQ
Common questions
What should I prepare before asking about the healthcare-professional referral form?
Complete only confirmed fields about the non-identifying referral question and urgency, add the date and assign one person to review the result and take the next action.
When might the healthcare-professional referral form need a clinic or hospital instead?
When it comes to the non-identifying referral question and urgency, a worksheet cannot make a diagnosis; take the observations to an appropriate dental or medical assessment. The dental provider should explain the reason and the safest next destination.
What should the first message about the healthcare-professional referral form include?
Include the area, non-identifying referral reason, urgency, referrer role and a suitable callback time.
Sources
Each source is shown with the part of this guide it supports.
- Oral health fact sheet · World Health OrganizationSupports general oral-health background.
- Oral Health Programme · Ministry of Health MalaysiaSupports Malaysian oral-health governance context.
- Malaysian Dental Council · Malaysian Dental CouncilSupports dentist registration and current practising checks.
Content updated: 2026-09-01.