Document 1810
 DOCN  M94A1810
 TI    Problems with communication between a specialist HIV unit and primary
       care.
 DT    9412
 AU    Guthrie B; Barton S; Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(1):446 (abstract no. PD0391). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94370765
 AB    OBJECTIVE: To assess communication between a specialist HIV unit in
       London, UK and general practitioners (GPs). METHOD: 1. 213 patients who
       had attended HIV outpatients in August 1993 had given written permission
       for their GP to be written to. The notes of 206 (96.7%) of them were
       inspected for evidence of letters written to their GP. 2. The general
       practice notes of 48 patients in four general practices were inspected
       to count consultation rates and communication from the hospital during
       1993. RESULTS: 1. 66.5% and 44.2% of patients had not had a letter
       written in the last 3 months and the last year respectively. There was
       no difference between patients with AIDS and those without. Only 30% of
       GPs were informed within one month about a first AIDS diagnosis and only
       22% within one month of a first CMV retinitis diagnosis. 2. The 48
       patients had been seen by their GPs 150 times in the first ten months of
       1993 with a mean consultation rate since registration of 3.9 contacts
       per year. The GPs had received no letters in 1993 on 27/48 (56%)
       patients and had received discharge summaries for only 9/34 (26%) of
       these patients' admissions to hospital in 1993. CONCLUSIONS: In the UK
       HIV services have largely evolved from genitourinary medicine where
       there is a tradition of total confidentiality. Increasingly though, care
       for patients with HIV has moved into the community and HIV services must
       adapt to this by changing the way they relate to community health
       services. This audit has led to the development of strategies to improve
       communication, examples of which will be presented in the context of the
       maintenance of patient confidentiality and choice.
 DE    *Communication  *Family Practice  *Hospitals  Human  *HIV Infections
       *Interprofessional Relations  London  MEETING ABSTRACT

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