LETTERS RAPID RESPONSES FROM BMJ.COM

doi:10.1136/bmjusa.01060003

BMJ, doi: 10.1136/bmjusa.01060003, (Published 5 September 2002)

Letters

LETTERS RAPID RESPONSES FROM BMJ.COM

A letter from Stanley Shere, published in the April 21 issue of the "BMJ," argued that it is dangerous when physicians dictate letters but then fail to read or sign them. As of May 19, 30 rapid responses had been posted on bmj.com in response to Shere's letter. Below we reproduce Shere's letter and a sampling of the rapid responses. $---$ Editor

Not reading and signing letters you have dictated is dangerous

No excuse for sending unedited letters

Sign a check, sign a letter!

Letters need not be signed

Signing unread letters is more dangerous

Return the letters marked "opened but not read"

I can't read and sign 200 x-ray reports a day

Use secure web-based systems

Not signing letters keeps my stress levels in check

A secretarial misconception

Not reading and signing letters you have dictated is dangerous

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

This article originally appeared in BMJ USA

EDITOR $---$ For some time I have been unhappy at the number of letters that I receive unsigned, usually from fellow consultantsbut more recently also from general practitioners. After the warmbest wishes at the end of the letter they usually state "Dictatedbut sent unsigned to avoid delay"; as we both know, this is almostalways totallyuntrue.

I know many consultants who virtually never sign their letters and, worryingly, never read them after dictating them. To addinsult to injury, I recently saw a copy of a letter from a consultantto a general practitioner, unsigned and from the mistakes obviouslyunread, in which he had the cheek to encourage the general practitionerto send patients for assessment at the private hospital whereheworked.

Last year I returned from having spent one month in the United States; there was . . . [Full text of this article]