Views of doctors on clinical correspondence: questionnaire survey and audit of content of letters

Clinical correspondence between general practitioners and specialists remains fundamental to the process of referral from primary care and transmission of management advice from consultants. However, both older and more recent studies indicate that opportunities for good communication are commonly missed.1–3 Newton and colleagues explored the views of general practitioners and consultants on the desirable content of letters, and proposed standards against which the content of letters might be audited.4 After a decade of increasing emphasis on good communication, clear records, and patient involvement, we repeated that study, and also audited letters written by doctors who responded to the questionnaire. Questionnaires were sent to 360 general practitioners, 157 in areas served by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and 203 in areas served by the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, and to the consultants doing outpatient clinics (107 in …