Biomaterial Database

QE-Mail--improving communication between the hospital and general practitioners. 1997

K A Hutchinson, and S M Cotter, and W B Dollman

Queen Elizabeth Hospital, South Australia.

OBJECTIVE To describe the process of developing a therapeutic bulletin with a view to improving communications between providers of primary and secondary care and to survey general practitioners to assess their responses to the bulletin and to ascertain their further information needs. METHODS A clinical panel was convened to select relevant topics for inclusion in the bulletins. The topic for each bulletin was researched and written using standard information sources and relevant experts. A survey was mailed with the first edition of the bulletin, to GPs in the Western Division of General Practice and in country areas, and to Directors of Nursing from country hospitals. RESULTS The overall response rate to the survey was 41%. The majority of respondents had read the bulletin and found it useful. Most thought that the presentation, in terms of length, detail and layout, was suitable. Topics suggested for future editions included antibiotics, antihypertensives and antidepressants. CONCLUSIONS The bulletin, QE-Mail, was well received and helped to inform GPs about current practices at the hospital. Future directions include the use of e-mail to distribute the bulletins and a follow up survey to determine if the bulletin is still meeting practitioners' needs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007400	Interprofessional Relations	The reciprocal interaction of two or more professional individuals.	Etiquette, Medical,Medical Etiquette,Relations, Interprofessional
D008505	Medical Staff, Hospital	Professional medical personnel approved to provide care to patients in a hospital.	Attending Physicians, Hospital,Hospital Medical Staff,Physicians, Junior,Registrars, Hospital,Attending Physician, Hospital,Hospital Attending Physician,Hospital Attending Physicians,Hospital Medical Staffs,Medical Staffs, Hospital,Hospital Registrar,Hospital Registrars,Junior Physician,Junior Physicians,Physician, Junior,Registrar, Hospital,Staff, Hospital Medical,Staffs, Hospital Medical
D010506	Periodicals as Topic	Works about publications issued at stated, more or less regular, intervals.	Journals as Topic,Magazines,Newsletters,Magazine,Newsletter
D010818	Practice Patterns, Physicians'	Patterns of practice related to diagnosis and treatment as especially influenced by cost of the service requested and provided.	Clinical Practice Patterns,Physician's Practice Patterns,Clinical Practice Pattern,Pattern, Clinical Practice,Patterns, Clinical Practice,Practice Pattern, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Clinical,Practice Patterns, Physician's,Prescribing Patterns, Physician,Physician Practice Patterns,Physician Prescribing Pattern,Physician Prescribing Patterns,Physician's Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Pattern,Physicians' Practice Patterns,Practice Pattern, Physician's,Practice Pattern, Physicians',Practice Patterns, Physician,Prescribing Pattern, Physician
D010821	Physicians, Family	Those physicians who have completed the education requirements specified by the American Academy of Family Physicians.	Family Physician,Family Physicians,Physician, Family
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003142	Communication	The exchange or transmission of ideas, attitudes, or beliefs between individuals or groups.	Miscommunication,Misinformation,Social Communication,Communication Programs,Communications Personnel,Personal Communication,Communication Program,Communication, Personal,Communication, Social,Communications, Social,Miscommunications,Misinformations,Personnel, Communications,Program, Communication,Programs, Communication,Social Communications
D004502	Education, Medical, Continuing	Educational programs designed to inform physicians of recent advances in their field.	Medical Education, Continuing,Continuing Medical Education,Education, Continuing Medical
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013021	South Australia	A state in south central Australia. Its capital is Adelaide. It was probably first visited by F. Thyssen in 1627. Later discoveries in 1802 and 1830 opened up the southern part. It became a British province in 1836 with this self-descriptive name and became a state in 1901. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p1135)