@article {Tomlinson:July 2005:0035-8843:251,
	author = "Tomlinson, Pamela",
	author = "McAndrew, Robert",
	title = "An audit of the standard of response letters sent by hospital specialists to general dental practitioners following a referred patient's first appointment",
	journal = "Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England",
	volume = "87",
	year = "July 2005",
	abstract = "INTRODUCTION To assess the standard of response letters issued by dental hospital departments according to the requirements of the recipient dentists.<P></P>PATIENTS AND METHODS A cross-sectional survey from a UK dental hospital. All response letters issued from hospital departments between 1 January and 1 March 2003 were copied. Fifteen letters were selected for each department on a chronological sampling frame. The hospital response letters were compared to dentists' requirements, as determined in a previous study.<P></P>RESULTS Almost all departments achieved a minimum total score of 80%. The scores across all of the departments together achieved over 90% for all items of information except those relating to time. The samples of the three departments to score over 90% were the only ones to include SHO letters. The sample of the department with the highest score contained the most SHO letters and no consultant letters.<P></P>CONCLUSIONS The content standard of response letters was consistently high, particularly those letters written by SHOs, and most were written within 18 days of the patient's appointment. The use of a previously conducted questionnaire survey of dentists' opinions provided a valid means of assessing the quality of the response letters from hospital specialists.",
	pages = "251-254(4)",
	url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rcse/arcs/2005/00000087/00000004/art00007"
	doi = "doi:10.1308/1478708051775"
}