AI for Clinicians

Home / Oncology

PromptBeginner3 min read

Prompt: Survivorship Letter to Patient and GP

A copy-paste-ready prompt for drafting an end-of-treatment survivorship letter suitable for both the patient and their GP.

Survivorship Letter to Patient and GP

Use this prompt to draft a combined letter marking the end of active treatment — one that the patient can keep and that their general practitioner (GP) can use as a handover summary.

Try it yourself
Draft a letter for a patient aged [[patient_age — e.g. "61"]] marking the 
end of active treatment for [[diagnosis — e.g. "colorectal cancer"]]. 
The letter will be sent to the patient and copied to their GP.

Treatment completed: [[treatment_summary — e.g. 
"Surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, completed [timeframe]"]].

Follow-up plan: [[follow_up — e.g. 
"3-monthly clinic appointments for the first year, then 6-monthly. 
CT scan at 12 months."]].

Possible longer-term effects to mention: [[late_effects — e.g. 
"fatigue, bowel changes, peripheral neuropathy — worth raising at 
follow-up appointments"]].

The letter should:
- Acknowledge the end of treatment and what the patient has been through
- Summarise the follow-up plan clearly
- Note the possible longer-term effects and that they are worth mentioning 
  at follow-up
- Tell the patient who to contact if they notice something new or concerning
- Include a brief clinical summary for the GP covering treatment completed 
  and the current follow-up plan

Do not include specific drug names, doses, or any reference to prognosis. 
Tone (patient section): warm, honest, and supportive. 
Tone (GP section): concise and professional. Maximum 450 words total.

Why this works

Writing a combined letter that serves both the patient and the GP saves drafting time while ensuring both audiences receive the information they need. The instruction to use different tones for each section ensures the patient section reads as human and supportive rather than clinical, while the GP section is efficient and informative.

How to tweak it

  • To produce only a patient-facing version, remove the GP section instruction and reduce the word count to 300.
  • To produce only a clinical GP letter, remove the patient tone instructions and add: "Write in a clinical register suitable for a colleague. Include the relevant clinical details in a structured format."

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

Was this lesson helpful?

Related lessons