BMJ 2002;325:1359 ( 7 December )

Letters

Copying letters to patients

    Concerns of clinicians and patients need to be addressed first
    Policy should be implemented as soon as possible
    No one really cares

Concerns of clinicians and patients need to be addressed first

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITORChantler 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 . . . [Full text of this article]

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• Mahadavan, L, Bird, N J, Chadwick, M, Daniels, I R (2009). Prospective assessment of patient directed outpatient communication from a patient and general practitioner perspective. Postgrad. Med. J. 85: 395-398 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

the case is not made in mental health care

Sebastian Kraemer
bmj.com, 7 Dec 2002 [Full text]

Copying letters to patients

Angus Macdonald
bmj.com, 7 Dec 2002 [Full text]

Advantageous in nearly all situations

Andrew P Bond
bmj.com, 8 Dec 2002 [Full text]

Copying letters to parents

Suzy Chapman
bmj.com, 9 Dec 2002 [Full text]

Copying letters to patients-where is the funding?

Diana M Jelley, et al.
bmj.com, 4 Jun 2003 [Full text]

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