What do GPs want from a psychiatrist's letter?

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the preferences of general practitioners (GPs) in reply letters for patients referred for a one-off psychiatric assessment.

Method: A sample of GPs referring to a primary mental health team service were mailed a questionnaire inquiring into the usefulness of 21 different letter items.

Results: The response rate was 51%. Many of the items in our routine reply letters were rated highly, but others such as developmental history, supplementary information and a comprehensive report were not. Sending a copy of the letter to the patient was rated as useful by only 42.5%.

Conclusions: The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' guidelines for reply letters are endorsed. There are, however, some additional items that GPs may find useful.