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General practitioner and hospital letters

K Salathia1, W J McIlwaine

  • 1Ulster, Hospital Trust.

The Ulster Medical Journal
|April 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Hospital consultant to general practitioner communication quality was poor in referral letters, but improved in discharge summaries. Headed letters were preferred by 80% of GPs, suggesting a need for further education.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical communication
  • Healthcare quality improvement

Background:

  • Effective communication between hospital consultants and general practitioners (GPs) is crucial for patient care continuity.
  • Previous assessments indicated potential deficiencies in referral letter quality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the quality of communication by letter between hospital consultants and GPs for outpatients and inpatients.
  • To identify areas for improvement in medical correspondence.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 104 outpatient and 89 inpatient referral letters from Ards Hospital in January 1993.
  • Assessment of consultant physician and senior house officer letters to GPs, including 72 outpatient and 152 inpatient discharge summaries.
  • Survey of GP preferences regarding the use of headings in letters.

Main Results:

  • Referral letters (outpatient and inpatient) showed poor information quality despite standardized forms.
  • Consultant physician and senior house officer letters, particularly discharge summaries, scored higher.
  • 80% of GPs approved of headed letters, correlating with higher scores for headed discharge summaries.

Conclusions:

  • Standard referral letters require improvement in information content.
  • The use of headings in discharge summaries enhances communication quality and GP satisfaction.
  • Further education and support for using headed letters are recommended to improve interprofessional communication.

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