The patient-surgeon relationship in the cyber era: communication and information.
From Laennec's invention of the stethoscope in 1816 to the recently introduced Sapien transcatheter aortic valve replacement, the increasing complexity of health care technology has altered the relationship between patients and physicians, usually for the better. Telemedicine, the provision of medical services through electronic media, has dramatically changed how the patient and physician interact and how medical care is delivered. Many studies of physicians' perceptions of electronic communication with patients have documented recognition of benefits as well as a consistent chorus of concerns about confidentiality, increased workload, inappropriate use, and medicolegal issues.
Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
J Herman
JH
Blake
Mary Kay
MK
Schwemmer
Robert M
RM
Sade
D003142:Communication; D003219:Confidentiality; D034742:Electronic Mail; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D020407:Internet; D008004:Licensure; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012944:Social Support; D059039:Standard of Care; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards