Response

I thank Dr Lexchin for his comments on our article in the May 2009 issue of Canadian Family Physician.1 He highlights the importance of the referring facility sending some basic information with the patient. In the facility where I work, a brief narrative about the patient’s present illness and a medication list is routinely sent; patients’ families are informed about the transfer if they do not already know. All the hospitals in Hamilton are connected electronically, so any previous admission data are available to the emergency department. Communication works both ways, and sometimes patients return from emergency departments with no information. We all have an obligation to improve communication, particularly for this population of patients who often cannot speak for themselves.

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