Prompt: Hip Osteoarthritis Conservative Management Letter
A copy-paste-ready prompt for drafting a patient letter explaining a conservative management recommendation for hip osteoarthritis.
Hip Osteoarthritis Conservative Management Letter
Use this prompt to draft a letter for a patient with hip osteoarthritis who has been recommended conservative management — particularly one who may have expected a surgical referral.
Draft a patient letter explaining a recommendation for conservative
management for a patient aged [[patient_age — e.g. "60"]] with
[[severity — e.g. "moderate"]] hip osteoarthritis.
Clinical context: [[context — e.g. "moderate joint space narrowing
on X-ray, pain mainly with prolonged walking and stairs, functional
activities of daily living largely preserved, BMI elevated"]]
Conservative plan: [[plan — e.g. "physiotherapy referral for hip
strengthening, activity modification, weight management,
analgesia review with GP, review in 6 months"]]
The letter should:
- Acknowledge that the patient's pain and limitations are real
- Explain why surgery is not recommended at this stage,
in plain English
- Describe each part of the conservative plan
- Be honest that surgery remains an option if conservative
management does not provide adequate relief
- Set realistic expectations — improvement in symptoms is possible,
not necessarily cure
- Tell the patient when they will be reviewed and what the
review will assess
Tone: direct, warm, and honest. Do not minimise the patient's
symptoms. Maximum 400 words.
Why this works
The explicit instruction to acknowledge that "surgery remains an option" is essential. Without it, the tool often produces a letter that implies surgery will never be needed, which is clinically inaccurate and can feel dismissive to the patient. This framing positions the conservative plan as an active, purposeful step — not a refusal.
How to tweak it
- For a patient who specifically requested a second opinion, add: "Note that the patient is welcome to seek a second opinion and that this will not affect their ongoing care."
- To add information about a pain management pathway, add: "Include a brief note about referral to the pain management service if symptoms are not adequately controlled with current measures."
Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.
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