An appraisal of the Fife Community Health Report

The Acheson Report highlights confusion about responsibilities and the poor communication in the control of communicable disease. There is evidence that printed sources of information appear high in the list of reported use of information sources by doctors, although health professionals appear to make poor use of them. This interview survey, conducted by telephone, ascertained the views of 83 recipients of the Fife Community Health Report (CHR) -a monthly communicable disease/environmental health newsletter for community and primary care health staff working in Fife. The 83 individuals interviewed were representing their practice or group of health staff so that the consensus of each group was being sought in the interview. The response rate was 100 per cent and 95 per cent of the respondents stated that all the members of their practice or group read the CHR. Ninety per cent thought the CHR was relevant to their work, and 64 per cent filed it for future reference. However, criticisms were made about the quality of printing. As a result of the survey, improvements have been initiated in the CHR, including the proposed use of desk top publishing (DTP) in its production. Furthermore, the survey has initiated proposals for a similar report in the Greater Glasgow Health Board.