The document provides guidance and examples for writing medical referral letters. It discusses the typical structure and contents of referral letters including introducing the patient's history, symptoms, and reason for referral. Sample letters are included referring patients to endocrinologists and cardiologists.
The document provides guidance and examples for writing medical referral letters. It discusses the typical structure and contents of referral letters including introducing the patient's history, symptoms, and reason for referral. Sample letters are included referring patients to endocrinologists and cardiologists.
The document provides guidance and examples for writing medical referral letters. It discusses the typical structure and contents of referral letters including introducing the patient's history, symptoms, and reason for referral. Sample letters are included referring patients to endocrinologists and cardiologists.
The document provides guidance and examples for writing medical referral letters. It discusses the typical structure and contents of referral letters including introducing the patient's history, symptoms, and reason for referral. Sample letters are included referring patients to endocrinologists and cardiologists.
A. INTRODUCTION A medical referral letter is sent from one physician to another when referring a patient for care. Most often the letter is sent from the patient's general practitioner or primary care physician to a specialist with a request for diagnosis or treatment of a patient. Writing a medical referral letter is up to each individual doctor, although some medical groups have templates to be followed. Check to see if your hospital or medical group has a template or prompt sheet for medical referral letters. If so, fill in the template with the applicable patient information and medical history. Open a text document to begin your letter. Format the letter using a standard business letter template in your word processing program. If you don't have a template, simply format it as a business letter. Include the date, your address, the address of the doctor you're sending it to, then the body of the letter and your signature. Include the patient's personal information and the referring doctor's contact information in the letter. Also include the reason for the referral. A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia reported that specialists prefer referral letters to include a patient's medical history, any clinical findings, prior test results and any previous treatments.
1 B. SAMPLES OF REFERRAL LETTERS Letter 1 (Mrs. Davis’s doctor has referred her to an endocrinologist.) Dear Doctor,
I would be grateful if you would see this 50-year-old woman who has lost 20 kilos in weight in spite of eating more than usual. She describes herself as overactive and at first she thought the weight loss was due to this. But more recently she has developed palpitations, diarrhea, and heat intolerance. She has noticed that her hands have a tendency to shake.
Her symptoms suggested hyperthyroidism and this was confirmed by my
examination which revealed an enlarged thyroid, red sweaty palms and a fine tremor of the hands.
Thank you for seeing her.
Yours sincerely, Mary Knox
Letter 2 Dear Doctor,
I am writing to refer to you this 60-year-old woman who complains of
tiredness and constipation. She has gained 5 kilos in the past three months although she says her appetite is poor. She has noticed that her hair has begun to fall out and that her skin is very dry. I am wondering if she is hypothyroid.
Thank you for seeing her.
Yours sincerely, Samantha Black
2 C. PRACTICE Based on the notes, write a referral letter to a cardiologist for this patient. SURNAME Green FIRST NAMES Peter AGE 42 SEX M MARITAL STATUS M OCCUPATION Salesman PRESENT COMPLAINT Central chest pain radiating to L arm. Started with severe attack c. dyspnea. Pain lasted 10 mins relieved by rest. Has occurred since on exertion. O/E General Condition ENT RS Chest clear/ normal CVS P(pulse) 70/min BP (blood pressure) 130/80 HS (heart sounds) normal
4 Sample writing Dear Doctor, I am writing to refer Mr. Dawson who has walking difficulty due to cerebrovascular accident. He requires your advice and assistance to improve his mobility. Mr. Dawson has had a cerebrovascular accident four years ago. His rehabilitation was generally successful. However, he still experiences speech and balance impairments along with left-sided weakness. It is important to mention that he limps. Consequently, he fell at home while descending stairs, which resulted in grazed left knee. Currently his wound is healing well. Therefore, he was advised to Use a walking stick to support his mobility, but he doesn’t know how to use it properly. In view of the above condition, please visit Mr. Dawson to access his condition to provide necessary support. It would be highly appreciated if you could teach him how to use the walking stick properly. His home address and contact details attached to this letter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information regarding his condition. Yours sincerely, Peter Brown
