Emergency admissions to a general medical unit: a survey of the accompanying letters, with recommendations.

Letters of referral accompanied 166 out of 188 emergency admissions to a general medical unit over a four-month period. Of these, 129 contained useful information concerning past medical history, emergency treatment given, drugs taken, and provisional diagnosis. It is suggested that general practitioners should adopt some format based on essential criteria when writing letters of referral, so that important information is not overlooked.