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Writing effective consultation letters: 12 tips for teachers
Erin Keely1, Suzan Dojeiji, Kathryn Myers
1Department of MedicineUniversity of Ottawa, Canada. ekeely@ottawahospital.on.ca
Medical Teacher
|March 8, 2003
Summary
Effective consultation letter writing is crucial for healthcare communication and requires formal teaching, not just reading examples. This article details methods for training residents in this essential skill and evaluating their performance.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Healthcare Communication
Background:
- Written correspondence is the standard communication method among healthcare providers.
- There is a lack of established methods for teaching and evaluating consultation letter writing, despite its importance in ambulatory care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the authors' experience in teaching consultation letter writing to residents.
- To present strategies for evaluating the skill of writing consultation letters.
Main Methods:
- The article details a structured approach to teaching consultation letter writing skills.
- Strategies for assessing residents' competency in writing consultation letters are outlined.
Main Results:
- Formal instruction is necessary for developing effective consultation letter writing skills.
- The authors provide a framework for evaluating this essential communication skill.
Conclusions:
- Consultation letter writing must be formally taught and evaluated.
- The described methods can enhance residents' communication skills in healthcare settings.