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Narrative interviews and corpus-linguistic analysis identify benefits of patient-copying while highlighting needs such as lay language and reduced acronyms.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/gp-perspectives-on-hospital-discharge-letters-an-interview-and-focus-group-study/280683/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/gp-perspectives-on-hospital-discharge-letters-an-interview-and-focus-group-study/280683.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Sophia Brooks","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-25","2026-09-16",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",15,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why are hospital discharge letters important in primary care?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Written discharge communication is essential for sharing information with the GP during care transitions, helping reduce unacceptable risks and supporting continuity of care.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"Which elements do GPs consider pivotal for a successful discharge letter?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"GPs highlight the importance of diagnosis, follow-up plans, medication changes and reasons, clinical summaries, investigations/procedures and outcomes, and information provided to the patient.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What changes do GPs suggest if patients receive copies of discharge letters?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"GPs believe modifications may be required, including using lay language and avoiding acronyms, to improve patient understanding.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},280683,1789554206,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,89,94,99,103,108,113,117,122],{"id":85,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":86,"show_sort_weight":87,"slug":88},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":90,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":95,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":55,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},18,30,"letters",{"id":118,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":120,"slug":121},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":123,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":125},158,"General","general-158",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":127},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":128,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":22,"category_id":114,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":135,"language":136,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":137,"faqs":138,"seo_title":139,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":120},962084925636,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","ReseaRch  \n*For correspondence: K. [Weetman@warwick.ac.uk](Weetman@warwick.ac.uk)  \n[Twitter:](Twitter: @ke_weetman)[ @ke_weetman](Twitter: @ke_weetman)  \nCompeting interest: The authors declare that no competing interests exist.  \nReceived: 08 November 2019  \nAccepted: 12 November 2019  \nPublished: 13 May 2020  \nThis article is Open access: cc  \nBY license ([https://creativecom](https://creativecom)[mons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](mons.org/licenses/by/4.0/))  \nAuthor Keywords:  \ncommunication, hospital discharge, general practitioners, patient discharge, copy letters, doctor and patient communication, discharge summaries, primary care  \nCopyright © 2020, The Authors; DOI:10.3399/ bjgpopen20X101031  \nGP perspectives on hospital discharge letters: an interview and focus group study  \nKatharine Weetman1*, Jeremy Dale1, Rachel Spencer1, Emma Scott1, Stephanie Schnurr2  \n1 Unit of academic Primary care, University of Warwick, Warwick Medical school, coventry, UK; 2centre for applied Linguistics, University of Warwick, coventry, UK  \nAbstract  \nBackground: Written discharge communication following inpatient or outpatient clinic discharge is essential for communicating information to the GP, but GPs’ opinions on discharge communication are seldom sought. Patients are sometimes copied into this communication, but the reasons for this variation, and the resultant effects, remain unclear.  \nAim: To explore GP perspectives on how discharge letters can be improved in order to enhance patient outcomes.  \nDesign & setting: The study used narrative interviews with 26 GPs from 13 GP practices within the West Midlands, England.  \nMethod: Interviews were transcribed and data were analysed using corpus linguistics (CL) techniques. Results: Elements pivotal to a successful letter were: diagnosis, appropriate follow-up plan, medication changes and reasons, clinical summary, investigations and/or procedures and outcomes, and what information has been given to the patient. GPs supported patients receiving discharge letters and expounded a number of benefits of this practice; for example, increased patient autonomy. Nevertheless, GPs felt that if patients are to receive direct discharge letter copies, modifications such as use of lay language and avoidance of acronyms may be required to increase patient understanding. Conclusion: GPs reported that discharge letters frequently lacked content items they assessed tobe important; GPs highlighted that this can have subsequent ramifications on resources and patient experiences. Templates should be devised that put discharge letter elements assessed to be important by GPs to the forefront. Future research needs to consider other perspectives on letter content, particularly those of patients.  \nHow this fits in  \nThis study builds on previous evidence through exploring GP views on discharge letters. Interviews and focus groups allowed in depth understanding of GP views on patients receiving letters and the content of successful discharge letters. There remains a need to improve written discharge communications, and the findings indicate ways in which this could contribute to improved patient experience.  \nIntroduction  \nIn the UK, 'discharge communication' may follow inpatient discharge or outpatient clinic discharge from hospital; it typically comprises written communication that is sent to the GP. Hospital admissions often involve complex changes to patients' diagnoses and medications; without adequate communication  \nWeetman K et al. BJGP Open 2020; DOI: 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101031 1 of 13  \nResearch  \nto the GP, care transition would carry unacceptable risks.1 Regulatory bodies already recommend that patients receive a copy of their discharge summary.2–7 National8 and international9 standards for discharge communication are stipulated, yet despite this, studies,10–17 both within and outside the UK, continue to reiterate that processes and content of discharge communication require improvement. GPs have previou","cbCairSidRLfZHNL","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairSidRLfZHNL","pdf",753223,13,"English","# Abstract\n## Background\n## Aim\n## Design & setting\n## Method and results\n## Conclusion\n# Introduction\n## Discharge communication in the UK\n## Copying patients into letters\n# Research questions\n# Method","[{\"question\":\"Why are hospital discharge letters important in primary care?\",\"answer\":\"Written discharge communication is essential for sharing information with the GP during care transitions, helping reduce unacceptable risks and supporting continuity of care.\"},{\"question\":\"Which elements do GPs consider pivotal for a successful discharge letter?\",\"answer\":\"GPs highlight the importance of diagnosis, follow-up plans, medication changes and reasons, clinical summaries, investigations/procedures and outcomes, and information provided to the patient.\"},{\"question\":\"What changes do GPs suggest if patients receive copies of discharge letters?\",\"answer\":\"GPs believe modifications may be required, including using lay language and avoiding acronyms, to improve patient understanding.\"}]","GP perspectives on hospital discharge letters - an interview and focus group study | PDF"]