Workflow: Drafting a Referral Letter

Referral letters take time. A letter to a reproductive endocrinologist, a geneticist, or a mental health professional needs to be clear, concise, and give the recipient exactly what they need. This workflow helps you use AI to produce a strong first draft.

Steps

Step 1: Identify the recipient and purpose. Before anything else, be clear: who is this letter going to, and what do you need them to do? Write one sentence. For example: "Referring to a reproductive immunologist for investigation of recurrent implantation failure." That sentence anchors your entire prompt.

Step 2: List the key clinical information to include. Write out the facts the recipient needs — age, relevant history, what has been tried, what has been ruled out, specific question for the receiving clinician. Use general terms, not the patient's real name or ID number.

Step 3: Note the tone you want. Referral letters to different specialties sometimes need different tones. A letter to a colleague you know well may be direct and brief. A letter to an unfamiliar specialist may need more context. Decide before you prompt.

Step 4: Open your AI tool and begin a fresh conversation.

Step 5: Write your prompt. Try: "Draft a referral letter from a fertility specialist to a for a patient aged with . Purpose of referral: . Tone: professional, clear, concise. Format: standard letter with opening, clinical summary, reason for referral, specific question for the receiving clinician, and closing. Do not invent clinical details — only use what I provide."

Step 6: Read the draft critically. Check that the AI has not invented clinical details. This happens. AI sometimes fills gaps with plausible-sounding but fabricated history. Every clinical detail in the final letter must be true and verifiable.

Step 7: Revise as needed. Ask AI to adjust tone, length, or emphasis. Keep going until the structure is right. The details are yours to add and verify.

Step 8: Transfer to your letterhead template. Copy into your clinic's letter template. Add the patient's actual name, date of birth, and clinic number now. Add the date. Add your name and signature block.

Step 9: Check against the clinical record. Before sending, verify every clinical statement in the letter against the patient's actual record. Do not rely on AI to have been accurate.

Step 10: Send through your normal clinical process. Follow your clinic's standard process for referral letters — whether that is a clinical system, a secure email, or a physical letter.

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