Year: 2002
Type: article
Abstract: Copying letters to patients Concerns of clinicians and patients need to be addressed firstEditor-Chantler and Johnson suggested that patients should receive copies of letters and summaries.1 We have researched this subject in our practice since 1998. 2 Our experience of copying referral letters received such a positive response from patients that we have been doing this routinely for the past year and a half.In a recent postal survey of 300 patients who had received copies of letters, 229 replied (response rate 76%), 220 (97%) of them saying that they would like to receive copies in future.Most of the respondents (184, 80%) believed that this should become routine NHS policy and should receive priority funding.Few concerns were raised about understanding the letters, and patients did not report increased anxiety; rather, they were reassured that their problem was being dealt with and they could understand why they were being referred.Copying letters has not notably increased workload for doctors in our practice in terms of extra consulting time with patients, but financial costs are incurred in additional administrative time, stationery, and postage.We therefore broadly agree with Chantler and Johnson's argument that this is a policy that, if adequately funded, should be implemented forthwith.We have, however, also just completed a series of interviews with a random sample of local general practitioners, all of whom raised some important concerns.They worry about how to write letters that are both comprehensible for patients and informative for professional colleagues, and how to avoid anxiety in patients when writing about tentative but potentially serious differential diagnoses.Issues about administrative resources also arise, and the question of maintaining the confidentiality of letters, especially for people who change addresses often.Particular patient groups who may have particular difficulties in accessing and understanding written correspondence include those with educational or visual disabilities, those with mental health problems, and those who do not have adequate reading skills in English.Despite our wish to see this policy implemented nationally as soon as possible, we believe that it would be counterproductive to do this without first addressing the considerable concerns of both clinicians and certain patient groups.We hope that the pilot studies being funded by the Department of Health will identify the means of addressing these key issues and thus enable the successful implementation of this key initiative.
Source: BMJ
Authors: Diana Jelley, Tim van Zwanenberg, Caron Walker
Institution: Whipps Cross University Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4302582123