Communication between general practitioners and psychiatrists

Abstract

The quality of care which patients receive within the NHS is dependent upon the communication between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists and the letter is the most widely used instrument in this process (Freeling & Kessel, 1984). There are only a few studies which have evaluated the efficiency of communication between the GP and the hospital specialist. For example, de Alarcon et al (1960) showed that 96% of specialists' reports to GPs were found to offer a definite contribution to the understanding of the case, whereas 4% were “vague and useless”.