How useful are post consultation letters to patients?

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Communication
• Medical Writing

Background:

• National Health Service (NHS) plan proposed patient copies of General Practitioner (GP) letters.
• Proposal extended to include specific patient letters post-hospital consultation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the usefulness and comprehensibility of GP letters versus patient-specific letters for cardiorespiratory outpatients.
• To compare dictation time, readability scores, and patient/GP preferences for different letter formats.

Main Methods:

• Cardiorespiratory patients received both GP and patient-specific letters.
• Letters analyzed for dictation time, Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and word count.
• Patients and GPs provided feedback on letter clarity, understanding, and preference.

Main Results:

• Patient letters had higher readability (Flesch Reading Ease) and shorter dictation times than GP letters.
• Patients circled more items in GP letters, indicating lower comprehension.
• 58% of patients preferred receiving both letter types; GPs favored the structure and detail of GP letters.

Conclusions:

• Patients appreciate receiving medical correspondence but comprehend patient-specific letters better.
• GP letters require simplification for readability without losing essential clinical detail and structure.
• Potential solutions include in-person dictation and specialty-specific glossaries to improve communication.