Behavioural Insights Team 28 January 2019
- A trial in the Greater Manchester Area that assessed the impact of social norm feedback via letters to GPs on urgent cancer referral rates. The letters had a statistically significant positive effect on the urgent GP referral rate.
- Each practice was sent three letters telling GPs how their referral decisions compared to local colleagues, one copy to a named GP and another to the practice manager: a first letter announcing that the feedback would be sent; a feedback letter and a reminder letter.
- The letters had a statistically significant positive effect on the urgent GP referral rate. The GP practices that received the social norm feedback letters increased their urgent crude GP referral rate by 9.6% (p < 0.05 level), compared to the control group.
