Use of the Psychiatric Consultation Letter as a Therapeutic Tool

Abstract

Objective: Carefully crafted medical consultation letters can serve the dual purpose of transmitting the consulted psychiatrist's opinion to the referring doctor and enhancing the quality of the doctor-patient therapeutic relationship. Using the same document for both purposes simultaneously can enhance the consultation letter's overall effectiveness, as illustrated by three case examples. Conclusions: Future teaching programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate psychiatry students should incorporate consultation letter writing workshops to improve students’ skills in clearly expressing their opinions and management recommendations in written form.