Improving the letters we write: an exploration of doctor-doctor communication in cancer care

Summary Referral and reply letters are common means by which doctors exchange information pertinent to patient care. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted exploring the views of oncologists, referring surgeons and general practitioners. Twenty-seven categories of information in refe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British Journal of Cancer 1999-05, Vol.80 (3-4), p.427-437
Main Authors: McConnell, D, Butow, P N, Tattersall, M H N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Cancer Research
Correspondence as Topic
Drug Resistance
Epidemiology
General aspects
Humans
Interprofessional Relations
Medical Oncology
Medical sciences
Molecular Medicine
Oncology
Physicians
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Referral and Consultation
Regular
regular-article
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tumors
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Summary:Summary Referral and reply letters are common means by which doctors exchange information pertinent to patient care. Twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted exploring the views of oncologists, referring surgeons and general practitioners. Twenty-seven categories of information in referral letters and 32 in reply letters after a consultation were defined. The letters to and from six medical oncologists relating to 20 consecutive new patients were copied, and their content analysed. Oncologists, surgeons and general practitioners Australia wide were surveyed using questionnaires developed on data obtained above. Only four of 27 categories of referral information appear regularly (in > 50%) in referral letters. Oncologists want most to receive information regarding the patient’s medical status, the involvement of other doctors, and any special considerations. Referring surgeons and family doctors identified delay in receiving the consultant’s reply letter as of greatest concern, and insufficient detail as relatively common problems. Reply letters include more information regarding patient history/background than the recipients would like. Referring surgeons and family doctors want information regarding the proposed treatment, expected outcomes, and any psychosocial concerns, yet these items are often omitted. Consultants and referring doctors need to review, and modify their letter writing practices.
ISSN:0007-0920
1476-5381
1532-1827
DOI:10.1038/sj.bjc.6690374