Medicine — Advice Letter for Newly Diagnosed Hypertension
A GP writes an advice letter to a 58-year-old patient newly diagnosed with hypertension, explaining the new medication, the lifestyle changes required, and the monitoring plan. This is a beginner advice case: a single new diagnosis, clear instructions, and a straightforward safety net — ideal for practising patient-facing register.
Letter type
Advice
Write to
Patient
Target length
180–200 words
The case notes
Patient: Mrs Patricia Yuen, 58 years old
Diagnosis: Hypertension: clinic BP 158/96, confirmed on 24-hour ambulatory monitoring (average 146/92)
New medication: Amlodipine 5 mg once daily in the morning
Lifestyle advice: Reduce salt intake; increase physical activity (30 minutes most days); reduce alcohol to within recommended limits; non-smoker
Monitoring: GP review in 4 weeks to check BP and medication tolerance; blood tests arranged (renal function, fasting glucose, cholesterol)
Side effects: Ankle swelling, flushing, dizziness — common with amlodipine; usually mild and settles within weeks
Target: Aim for BP below 140/90 in clinic; medication will be reassessed if not achieved at 4-week review
Task: Write an advice letter to Mrs Yuen explaining her diagnosis, her new medication and the lifestyle changes required.
Writing task
Write an advice letter to Mrs Yuen explaining her diagnosis, her new medication and the lifestyle changes required.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
-
The diagnosis in plain language and why treatment is needed
A patient who understands what hypertension is and why it matters will engage with the advice. The explanation does not need to be clinical; it needs to be clear.
-
How and when to take amlodipine
The central instruction. A once-daily medicine taken at irregular times is taken inconsistently — timing matters.
-
The most likely side effect (ankle swelling) and that it usually settles
Pre-warning prevents the patient stopping the medicine unnecessarily. This is the standard safety net for calcium channel blockers.
-
The 4-week review date
A concrete next step signals that you are monitoring the patient and gives her a timeline. Advice letters without a follow-up plan feel incomplete to both the patient and the examiner.
Leave out
-
The ambulatory monitoring methodology
Tell the patient the blood pressure was confirmed on a longer monitoring period; the technical procedure does not help her manage her condition.
-
The pharmacology of calcium channel blockers
Mechanism detail is the wrong register for a patient advice letter. Explain what the tablet does in one plain sentence; never the biochemical how.
Criterion in focus · Genre & Style
An advice letter to a patient is the clearest Genre & Style test in OET Medicine. Examiners expect warm, plain, supportive language — not clinical jargon, not a lecture. 'Your blood pressure was higher than normal' is right; 'Your hypertensive readings exceeded threshold values' is not. Correct register throughout separates a B from a C.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 180–200 words advice letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.