Problem: discharge-medication reviews and inhaler cases need technique evidence, not just drug lists — yet letters report prescriptions without performance. Answer in brief: dMUR letters reconcile then risk-assess (technique, adherence, monitoring gaps); inhaler letters report device, steps failed and inspiratory ability. This guide teaches both with a worked inhaler referral, and OET Writing for Pharmacists — Course 2 trains reconciliation, diabetes, steroid, monitoring and respiratory letters across 17 topic sections.
Post-discharge reconciliation and dMUR logic
Reconcile first (three lists with reasons, per the Course 1 template), then risk-assess: which changes threaten adherence (new devices? complex timing? similar packaging?), which need monitoring (spironolactone potassium? anticoagulant INR? steroid glucose?), and what the community pharmacist should watch in the next fortnight. The dMUR question is always forward-looking — “review requested” means review for something specific, named.
Diabetes, steroids and monitoring traps
Steroid courses wreck glycaemic control predictably: report the steroid (drug, dose, duration, indication), the glucose excursion with values, the monitoring plan (frequency, thresholds, who acts), and the taper with follow-up. Diabetes letters add sick-day rules status and hypo awareness. The trap is reporting either the steroid or the diabetes — the letter must show their interaction with numbers both sides.
Train reconciliation and respiratory letters supervised? The full OET Writing for Pharmacists — Course 2 covers post-discharge reconciliation, diabetes, steroids, monitoring and respiratory inhaler letters across 17 topic sections with 39 lessons and mock tests. Explore the course →
Respiratory: inhaler letters that report performance
Device named with dose, steps observed vs steps failed (“actuation before inhalation on 3 of 4 attempts; breath-hold absent”), inspiratory flow adequacy, spacer use, exacerbation history with rescue use frequency, adherence estimate with source. Technique failure is a finding with a fix (device change? retraining? spacer?) — propose it. Reliever overuse figures (“salbutamol 200-dose inhaler monthly”) belong in every such letter as the control signal.
Worked example: inhaler-technique referral
Fictional case, newly written: Mr Halloran, 64, COPD, on tiotropium HandiHaler plus salbutamol; observed technique: capsule pierced correctly, inhalation too rapid, no breath-hold; reliever use every 2–3 hours; two exacerbations this year requiring steroids; inspiratory flow adequate if coached; keen to learn.
Shape: purpose (technique review with device-change question). Device and observed failures, step by step. Control signals (reliever frequency, exacerbations). Flow adequacy with coaching note. Request: “I would appreciate respiratory review for device optimisation — possibly breath-actuated alternative — with retraining; he is motivated and will attend.” Performance reported, fix proposed — roughly 175 words.
FAQs
Should I recommend a specific device?
Suggest with reasons, never prescribe unilaterally: “breath-actuated device may suit given rapid inhalation; your assessment appreciated.” The prescriber decides; your evidence frames the decision.
Is reliever frequency really that important?
It is the single best control signal in the letter — daily-or-more use screams uncontrolled disease regardless of what the patient claims. Always include it.
What is in the course?
Seventeen topic sections on post-discharge reconciliation, diabetes, steroids, monitoring and respiratory inhaler letters, with 39 lessons and 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Writing for Pharmacists — Course 2 reports performance, not just prescriptions: dMUR logic, steroid-diabetes monitoring, inhaler technique evidence — 17 topic sections, 39 lessons, 5 mock tests. If your letters list drugs but show nothing, train here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing format per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Regimens above are illustrative fiction; follow local protocols in practice and current OET guidance for the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 17 topic sections, 39 lessons, 5 mock tests.
- Case and letter lines are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
