referral
n. C / Un. the act of sending someone to a person or place for help or information. You often get one from your regular doctor when you need to see a specialist.
n. the act of directing a person to a different source of assistance, information, or treatment. Often used in medical or professional contexts to describe the formal transfer of a client or patient.
My doctor gave me a referral to see a heart specialist.
The clinic requires a written referral from a general practitioner before they will schedule an appointment with a consultant.
The social worker's primary responsibility was to provide a referral to local housing services for families facing immediate eviction.
From refer + -al.
Countable when referring to the document or the specific instance; uncountable when referring to the general process.
The doctor referred me a specialist.The doctor gave me a referral to a specialist.Learners often confuse the verb 'refer' with the noun 'referral' or omit the preposition 'to' when using the noun.