title: A study of the content of general practitioners' referral letters to an accident and emergency department.
abstract: A two-week prospective study was undertaken to assess the quality and content of referral letters from the primary care services to an inner city accident and emergency department. It was found that the majority of letters fell short of commonly accepted minimum standards. A comparison was also made between letters from general practice principals and deputising service doctors. Recommendations for improvement in written communication are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Accident and Emergency Medicine, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pennycook
mesh_terms: D015709:Correspondence as Topic; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012606:Scotland