Rehab Medical

Health information

Referral to a specialist

A good referral is not a handover — it is a question, asked of the right person, with the work already done. Before we refer we make sure the basic tests are complete and the summary is written, because a specialist appointment spent repeating what a family doctor could have done costs you time and money. Equally often the honest answer is that you do not need one, and we will say so and explain why.

When it cannot wait

Signs that mean today

These are not reasons to book an appointment. They are reasons to be seen now, or to call an ambulance on 123.

  • Do not wait for a referral appointment for: chest pain, one-sided weakness or speech difficulty, severe breathlessness, or a suspected fracture. Emergency department.
  • A suspected cancer — an unexplained lump, unexplained weight loss, blood in urine or stool — is referred urgently, and we will tell you plainly that we are doing so and why.
  • Thoughts of suicide or self-harm. That is seen today, and psychiatric help is arranged from within the consultation, not on a waiting list.
  • A rapid deterioration while you are waiting for a specialist date — come back to us rather than waiting it out.

When to book

Reasons to be seen

  • You have been told you need a specialist but not which one, or you have been to three and none of them was the right one.
  • You have a diagnosis and a treatment plan you do not understand, and want it explained by someone with time.
  • Two specialists have given you conflicting advice, or you are on medicines from several doctors who have not spoken to each other.
  • You want a second opinion before surgery or a long-term treatment. Asking for one is normal, and no reasonable doctor is offended by it.

What a visit looks like

What a visit for this involves

  • 25–30 minutesClinic visitAt the clinic, unhurried
  • 20 minutesVideo consultationFrom anywhere in Egypt
  • 15 minutesFollow-upAfter a recent visit, same complaint

In the room

What the doctor checks

  1. A decision about whether a referral is actually the right step, made out loud, with the reasoning shared rather than kept.
  2. The groundwork completed first — the bloods, the imaging, the medication list — so the specialist starts from a real question rather than from zero.
  3. A written referral letter naming the question, the findings so far and what has already been tried.
  4. A plan for afterwards: what to bring back, who keeps track of the overall picture, and who to contact if nothing happens.

Come prepared

What to bring

  • Every report you have, even the ones you think are irrelevant — a scan from two years ago often is the answer.
  • The full list of medicines from every doctor you see, in one place.
  • What you want out of the referral — a diagnosis, a second opinion, an operation discussed, or simply someone to explain. It changes who we send you to.

Next step

Tell us what's happening and we'll arrange the right kind of visit.

Message the clinic on WhatsApp. We reply with the times that are free and what the visit costs, before you agree to anything.

Book on WhatsApp

At home

Between visits

  • Keep your own file. In a system where records do not follow the patient, the patient has to.
  • Write your questions down before the specialist appointment and hand the list over. Fifteen minutes goes very fast.
  • Come back afterwards with whatever you were given. Somebody has to hold the whole picture, and that is what a family doctor is for.

Before you write

Questions patients ask

Written and clinically reviewed by Dr. Rehab Ahmed, MBBCh, Ain Shams University · Diploma in Family Medicine. Last reviewed August 2026.

What this page is based on

This page is general information written by the practice. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace seeing a doctor. In an emergency, call 123.

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