title: Web-based e-mail communications: issues in responsive service.
abstract: Women's College Hospital (WCH), Toronto, Canada, embarked on a review of 5 years of Web-based e-mail communications to address broad issues of managerial policy and procedure as related to the institution's expanding role in Web-based communication. The hospital looked at who was sending messages, why they were communicating, and how the institution should respond to the new demands placed on them by virtual communicators. The article provides a brief discussion of the results of the review and points out that attention must be given to a broad range of organizational challenges and opportunities posed by such communications. Suggestions related to how health care organizations may respond better to and serve their virtual audiences are offered.
authors.affiliation: Libra Information Services, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rashid
mesh_terms: D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003625:Data Collection; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D006748:Hospital Departments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006751:Hospital Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009864:Ontario; D019114:Remote Consultation; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000639:trends; D014600:Utilization Review