Health professional responses to questionnaire: A) Health professionals were asked to what extent they agreed with various statements on the presentation of data in the letters; B) Health professionals were asked how the letters compared with other progress letters they received.
| A) STATEMENT | LETTER TYPE | STRONGLY AGREE, N (%) | AGREE, N (%) | NEUTRAL, N (%) | DISAGREE, N (%) | STRONGLY DISAGREE, N (%) | DIFFERENCE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z SCORE | P VALUE | |||||||
| It was easy to find the information I needed in this letter | Narrative | 5 (7) | 36 (49) | 15 (20) | 16 (22) | 2 (3) | −4.083* | < .001 |
| Graphic | 31 (42) | 31 (42) | 10 (14) | 2 (3) | 0 (0) | |||
| It was easy to understand the overall progress of the patient in this letter | Narrative | 7 (9) | 29 (39) | 19 (26) | 18 (24) | 0 (0) | −5.350* | < .001 |
| Graphic | 37 (50) | 31 (42) | 2 (3) | 4 (5) | 0 (0) | |||
| This letter contained all of the information that I need | Narrative | 5 (7) | 45 (61) | 18 (24) | 4 (5) | 0 (0) | −3.434* | .001 |
| Graphic | 17 (23) | 42 (57) | 12 (16) | 1 (1) | 0 (0) | |||
| I would like more description of the categories in the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview assessment | Narrative | 2 (3) | 17 (23) | 31 (42) | 21 (28) | 3 (4) | −1.684 | .092 |
| Graphic | 2 (3) | 23 (31) | 27 (36) | 21 (28) | 1 (1) | |||
| I would like this letter to contain more description of the skills taught in the program | Narrative | 3 (4) | 21 (28) | 26 (35) | 22 (30) | 0 (0) | −.542 | .588 |
| Graphic | 3 (4) | 16 (22) | 33 (45) | 22 (30) | 0 (0) | |||
| There was too much information in this letter | Narrative | 2 (3) | 17 (23) | 20 (27) | 30 (41) | 3 (4) | −3.064* | .002 |
| Graphic | 0 (0) | 5 (7) | 19 (26) | 44 (59) | 4 (5) | |||
| I understand from this letter what I can do to help as this patient’s physician | Narrative | 1 (1) | 29 (39) | 29 (39) | 15 (20) | 0 (0) | −4.562* | <.001 |
| Graphic | 10 (14) | 39 (53) | 18 (24) | 6 (8) | 0 (0) | |||
| I would like to receive a similar letter at the start of treatment | Narrative | 6 (8) | 33 (45) | 20 (27) | 12 (16) | 1 (1) | −1.319 | .187 |
| Graphic | 13 (18) | 31 (42) | 16 (22) | 11 (15) | 1 (1) | |||
| I would like to receive a similar progress letter halfway through treatment | Narrative | 6 (8) | 22 (30) | 20 (27) | 24 (32) | 2 (3) | −2.252 | .024 |
| Graphic | 12 (16) | 25 (34) | 17 (23) | 19 (26) | 1 (1) | |||
| B) QUESTION | LETTER TYPE | MUCH BETTER, N (%) | A LITTLE BETTER, N (%) | ABOUT THE SAME, N (%) | A LITTLE WORSE, N (%) | MUCH WORSE, N (%) | DON’T USUALLY GET A LETTER, N (%) | DIFFERENCE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z SCORE | P VALUE | ||||||||
| How does this letter compare to other mental health letters you receive regarding patients? | Narrative | 15 (21) | 18 (25) | 19 (26) | 9 (13) | 3 (4) | 8 (11) | −4.198* | < .001 |
| Graphic | 42 (58) | 13 (18) | 7 (10) | 5 (7) | 0 (0) | 6 (8) | |||
↵* Significant at P < .005.