Authors did not consider patients' view of information they received

EDITOR—Two papers conclude that information booklets are unlikely to influence consulting rates. 1 2 One criticism of these papers that we have is their failure to report on the quality of the booklets used and how this might be judged, or to comment on the factors other than factual content that might affect patients' reactions to the materials. This failure comes despite the resources provided by the NHS Centre for Health Information Quality3 and despite comments made in an accompanying editorial.4 More important, however, is the way in which patients are characterised by these papers.

The outcome chosen in both studies—that of reducing consultation—represents a prioritising of professional and biomedical …