Tutorial: Drafting Your First Patient Education Letter

This tutorial walks you through a complete session with an AI tool. From opening the tool to having a finished letter ready to print, the whole process takes about fifteen minutes the first time. It will take five the second.

You do not need to create an account in advance, but you will need one to save your work. Claude (claude.ai) and ChatGPT (chat.openai.com) both have free tiers.

The task: draft a patient education letter about perimenopause for a woman in her late forties who has just been told her symptoms might be perimenopausal.

Step 1: Open the tool and start a new conversation

Go to claude.ai or chat.openai.com. Sign in. You will see a white text box, usually at the bottom of the screen. This is where you type. Click inside it.

Every time you start a new task, it is good practice to start a fresh conversation. This means the tool is not confused by anything from a previous session.

Step 2: Type your first prompt

Type the following, or something close to it:

You are helping a gynaecologist draft patient education letters. 
Write a one-page letter for a woman in her late forties who has just been told 
her symptoms may be perimenopausal. She is experiencing irregular periods, 
hot flushes, and difficulty sleeping. 

The letter should:
- Explain what perimenopause is in plain English
- Describe why her symptoms are happening
- Reassure her that these symptoms are common and manageable
- Explain that she will discuss her options with her gynaecologist at the next appointment
- Not recommend any specific treatments

Tone: calm, warm, not alarming. Maximum 300 words.

Press Enter or click the send button.

Step 3: Read the first draft

The tool will produce a letter in about fifteen to twenty seconds. Here is an example of what it might produce:

Dear [Name],

Thank you for coming in to see us recently. Following our conversation, I wanted to send you this short letter to explain a little more about what perimenopause is, and why you may be experiencing the symptoms you described.

Perimenopause is the stage of life when the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle begin to change. This usually starts several years before periods stop altogether. During this time, oestrogen levels rise and fall unevenly, which is why periods become irregular and why symptoms such as hot flushes and disturbed sleep can occur.

These symptoms are very common. Many women experience them to some degree, and there are ways to manage them. We will talk through your options together at your next appointment.

In the meantime, if your symptoms are significantly affecting your daily life or sleep, please do contact the clinic.

Yours sincerely, [Your name and contact details]

Read this draft as a clinician. Ask yourself: Is this accurate? Is anything missing? Is the tone right?

Step 4: Request a specific change

Suppose you want to add a brief section about lifestyle factors that can affect symptoms — sleep, alcohol, and stress — without making it sound like a lecture. You do not need to rewrite your original prompt. Just type a follow-up instruction:

Add a short paragraph about lifestyle factors that can affect perimenopause symptoms — 
particularly sleep routine, alcohol, and stress. Keep the tone supportive, 
not prescriptive. Maximum 60 words for this addition.

The tool will add the paragraph to the letter. Read the result again. If the new paragraph changes the letter's flow, ask for another small adjustment.

Step 5: Adjust the reading level

Read the draft aloud. If any sentences feel long or formal, ask for a revision:

The letter reads slightly formally. Rewrite it in slightly plainer language — 
as if you were speaking to someone intelligent but who is not medically trained. 
Keep the same structure and length.

The tool will rewrite. Compare both versions. Keep whichever reads better.

Step 6: Copy the draft into your own system

Once you are happy with the draft, select all the text in the tool's response and copy it. Paste it into your word processor or clinical letter template. Do not save the conversation in the AI tool as a clinical record.

Now add:

• The patient's name and address
• Your name and signature block
• Your clinic's contact details
• Any local resource information (support groups, clinic website, follow-up appointment date)

Step 7: Read the finished letter one final time

Read it from beginning to end, imagining you are the patient receiving it. Check for: anything that could be misread as alarming, anything that commits to a clinical decision you have not yet made, and anything that is specific to the template rather than this patient.

Make any final adjustments. The letter is now ready to print or send.

What the tool does badly

The tool does not know when guidance changes. If you have not reviewed a menopause information letter in two years, do not assume the tool's draft reflects current evidence. Read it critically as a clinician who knows this area.

It also sometimes adds a slightly formal, slightly impersonal warmth that can sound hollow. Trust your instinct when a sentence feels like it was written by a committee. Rewrite those sentences yourself.

What to try next

Once you are comfortable with this task, try the same approach for a different condition — a post-diagnosis letter for a patient with fibroids, or pre-operative instructions for outpatient hysteroscopy. The workflow is identical. The content changes. The time investment shrinks with each session.

Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.