Vísun

Vísun is an Icelandic term that denotes a referral or directive to another health care professional or service. In a medical context, a vísun is a document issued by a physician or other qualified clinician that requests the patient be evaluated by a specialist, undergo a diagnostic test, or visit a different facility. The content typically includes patient identifiers, the reason for referral, the requested specialty or test, and often a note on urgency or priority. It may also contain a provisional diagnosis or relevant clinical information for the receiving clinician.

Vísun forms part of the standard referral workflow and is commonly transmitted electronically within the Icelandic health system, facilitating appointment scheduling and medical record keeping. Patients usually present the vísun at the time of the referred visit, and the document may be valid for a defined period or subject to conditions set by the issuing clinician.

Beyond medicine, the term can be used more generally to denote a direction or pointer to another resource or service. Etymologically, vísun is derived from the verb visa, meaning to point or indicate, reflecting its function as a directive to seek further assessment or information. In practice, the vísun helps coordinate care across primary, secondary, and tertiary services and supports timely access to appropriate medical evaluation.