Teaching letter writing to medical undergraduates.

Poor quality medical letters epitomise the failing communication skills of Australian doctors. I asked the 11 Australian medical schools to define how these skills are taught to undergraduates, and The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to comment on the essay section of the college examinations. Six of the 11 universities replied; two of them teach communication. The RACGP supported the need to teach undergraduates communication skills.