title: A survey of GP attitudes to and experiences of email consultations.
abstract: Email is an accepted part of modern communication in business and education. The use of email could benefit communication between patients and healthcare professionals. Use of email within health care has been hampered by concerns about privacy, technical barriers, perceived fear of change and increased workload.Sixty-two general practitioners within Dundee in east Scotland responded to a questionnaire and indicated that they regularly used email for communication within their practices and with outside agencies, but rarely with patients. Many perceived a need to provide an email service for clinical enquiries and repeat prescription requests but felt constrained from doing so by a lack of an accepted system and workload concerns.
authors.affiliation: Westgate Health Centre, Charleston Drive, Dundee DD2 4AD, Scotland, UK. ron.neville@blueyonder.co.uk
authors.forename: Ron G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Neville
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Marsden
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McCowan
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pagliari
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mullen
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fannin
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D019114:Remote Consultation; D012606:Scotland