What do patients think about being copied into their GP letters?

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Communication
• General Practice

Background:

• UK Department of Health policy mandates sending patients copies of GP referral letters.
• Limited research exists on patient perspectives and departmental impact of this practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient satisfaction with receiving copies of out-patient consultation letters.
• To evaluate the effect of this practice on out-patient departments.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 500 out-patient attendees who had been offered a copy letter.
• Data collected on patient opinions and understanding of letter contents.

Main Results:

• 95% of patients favored receiving copies of their letters.
• 93.4% understood most or all of the letter's content.
• Dictating letters in patient presence reduced copy requests (P < 0.001) with minimal departmental queries.

Conclusions:

• Copying patients into GP letters is a well-received and beneficial practice.
• This policy has a negligible impact on departmental operations.
• In-person dictation enhances patient understanding and reduces the need for mailed copies.