E-mail communications in family practice: what do patients expect?
OBJECTIVE
Many health care providers and patients are exploring the feasibility of using E-mail to address a variety of medical issues. The researchers wanted to determine the proportion of their patient population with E-mail access, determine patients' willingness to use this technology to expedite communication with health care providers, and assess their expectations of response times.


METHODS
A cross-sectional, in-person prevalence survey.


METHODS
Patients (n=950) with scheduled appointments to see a primary care provider in 6 of 18 family practice clinics in a large health care delivery system in central Texas.


METHODS
The proportion of patients with E-mail access, their willingness to use it, and their expectations regarding the timeliness of responses to their E-mail queries about selected clinical services.


RESULTS
Overall, 54.3% of the patients reported having E-mail access, with significant variation among the 6 clinics (33%-75%). Reported areas of strongest desire for using E-mail were to request prescription refills (90%), for non-urgent consultations (87%), and to obtain routine laboratory results or test reports (84%). Patients' expectations regarding the timeliness of responses to their E-mail queries varied by clinical service. For laboratory results, their expectations were: less than 9 hours, 21%; 9 to 24 hours, 53%; and more than 24 hours, 26%.


CONCLUSIONS
Most patients attending family practice clinics in central Texas have E-mail access and indicate they would use it to request prescription refills, for non-urgent consultations, and to obtain routine laboratory results or test reports. Regardless of sex or race, patients have high expectations that these tasks can be completed within a relatively short time.
Couchman
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GR
Department of Family & Community Medicine, Scott & White Memorial Hospital, and Scott, Sherwood and Brindley Foundation, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple 76504, USA. gcouchaman@swmail.sw.org
Forjuoh
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Rascoe
T G
TG
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005194:Family Practice; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors