How do patients use email to communicate with their doctor?

To evaluate unsolicited email sent from patients to a general obstetrician-gynecologist. A retrospective review was performed of 60 unsolicited emails sent to an obstetrician-gynecologist. Time sent, content, and physician response were evaluated. Most emails were sent during office hours. Fifty-fou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of reproductive medicine Vol. 58; no. 11-12; p. 529
Main Authors Gussman, Debra, Tschirhart, Monica J, Baum, Jonathan D, Blechman, Andrew
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.2013
Subjects
Communication
Electronic Mail - statistics & numerical data
Female
Gynecology
Humans
Obstetrics
Physician-Patient Relations
Retrospective Studies
Time Factors
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Summary:To evaluate unsolicited email sent from patients to a general obstetrician-gynecologist. A retrospective review was performed of 60 unsolicited emails sent to an obstetrician-gynecologist. Time sent, content, and physician response were evaluated. Most emails were sent during office hours. Fifty-four percent of the emails had content related to gynecologic issues. Twenty-seven percent of the emails had content related to obstetrical concerns. Nineteen percent of emails were nonclinical in nature. Fourteen percent of emails required a follow-up phone call. Twenty-nine percent of emails necessitated an office visit. Patients did not use email for emergency communication. The participating physician was pleased with the ease of responding to patients, especially while away from the office.
ISSN:0024-7758