Effective communication from general practice: the referral letter

Abstract

The referral of patients from general practice to secondary care is fundamental to the structure of the National Health Service. This process relies upon the referral letter. Unfortunately, the quality and content of referral letters is often poor and unfocused, making it difficult for hospital practitioners to make accurate decisions on patient management. Standardization of referral letters has previously been suggested and, whilst this has been shown to increase the quality and quantity of information transmission and clinical acumen in hospital settings, their use has not been fully explored in general practice.