[General practitioners' perceptions of medical information from hospitals]

The communication and circulation of medical information between hospitals and GPs play a central role in the quality of care. Numerous statutes, regulations, and clinical practice guidelines stress the need for such communication. We assessed how it really works.

We conducted face-to-face interviews based on a standardized questionnaire with 50 GPs in the districts of Paris and Seine-Saint-Denis, to explore different aspects of their communication with hospitals: the communication channels, and the amount, content, and quality of the information received.

It appears that the overall quantity of communication is satisfactory but its quality and content vary according to the reasons for which the GP sent the patient to the hospital. GPs have a deep feeling that hospital staff physicians do not collaborate with them.

The proposed personal medical file may help resolve logistic obstacles to the circulation of medical information but it will not bridge the cultural gap that exists between the two pillars of the system of care: the hospital and the GP.