A child flagged during the annual school health screening in a Thanjavur district government school receives a provisional diagnosis. The referral form goes to the Primary Health Centre. What happens after that — whether the referral was actually attended, whether the diagnosis was confirmed or revised, whether treatment was initiated and at which institution — is information that the school health system rarely captures. The referral registry is the record that closes the loop.
Student Identity and Linking Fields
Name, Aadhar no, school unique id, Name of the school, Date of birth, age, Gender, Name of Parent Or Guardian, phone No, and Address establish the student identity record with multiple cross-referencing identifiers. The Aadhar number links the school health record to the national health database and ensures patient identity continuity across different healthcare institutions. The school unique ID links the record to the school's own student register.
Hsc (Health Sub Centre) and phc (Primary Health Centre) identify the specific health infrastructure facilities in the referral chain. In Tamil Nadu's tiered health system, the sub-centre is the first point of screening contact; the PHC receives the initial referral; specialist services at district or government hospitals handle final diagnosis confirmation for complex conditions.
Diagnosis and Referral Tracking
Provisional Diagnosis and date of provisional Diagnosis document the initial screening finding — the condition identified during the school health camp that prompted the referral. Final diagnosis and date of final diagnosis capture the confirmed diagnosis from the referred institution, which may differ from the provisional finding.
The gap between provisional and final diagnosis dates is the referral cycle time — a measure of how efficiently the health system is processing school health referrals. In public health terms, a long cycle time for conditions requiring early treatment intervention is an actionable metric. The registry makes it visible.
Referred Institution documents where the student was sent. Investigation lists the investigations ordered — blood tests, imaging, specialist consultation. Management and Rx capture the treatment plan and specific medications prescribed.
Reason for not handles the non-compliance record — the reason the referral wasn't attended or treatment wasn't initiated. In school health programs, non-attendance at referral appointments is a significant outcome measure. Documenting the barrier — distance, cost, parental inability to take leave, child refusal — creates the data that informs targeted follow-up and program design.
Date of initiation of Rx, Name of institution of Rx, and Name of Rx given complete the treatment record — the final stage of the referral loop that confirms the child received the intervention they were referred for. Remarks holds the qualitative information that the structured fields don't capture, including any counter-referral back to the school health level and its outcome.