What do general practitioners and paediatricians want from discharge letters?

Objectives To ascertain the relative importance ascribed by general practitioners and hospital paediatricians to items of information given in paediatric final discharge letters, and determine general practitioner preference for the format of such letters. Design A questionnaire was sent to 158 local general practitioners and 24 hospital‐based paediatricians. Setting A district general hospital serving both a large industrialized urban area and a rural catchment area in Northern England. Results One hundred and twenty‐eight (81.0%) general practitioners and 23 (95.8%) hospital paediatricians responded. There was consensus on which items of information were essential. These included correct diagnosis; correct drug dosage, frequency and duration; dates of admission; investigations performed; admission ward; case history, and admitting/responsible consultant. There were differences as to the essential nature of which doctor wrote the letter; why the child was admitted; parental information given. Conclusions Many features of paediatric inpatient discharge letters are regarded with the same priority by general practitioners and hospital paediatricians. However, there are some important differences in preferences between these groups of doctors.