Examining Internet Communication in Healthcare
Author Information
Author(s): Susan H Swartz, Timothy M Cowan, Ida A Batista
Primary Institution: Maine Medical Center
Hypothesis
Patients having a wide variety of medical conditions were as likely to communicate online with their providers as those without such conditions.
Conclusion
Patients using practice-based Internet communication and having significant health risks can be identified through the use of administrative data.
Supporting Evidence
- 10% of patients used the practice Web site.
- Use of the practice Web site was higher among patients with chronic conditions.
- Patients with more clinic visits were more likely to use the Web-based service.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many patients used online communication with their doctors and found that many patients with health issues were using it.
Methodology
The study analyzed patient claims data from clinical encounters to measure the relationship between demographics, visit frequency, diagnoses, and online communication use.
Potential Biases
The study may have bias due to higher outreach to certain insurance groups, potentially affecting user registration.
Limitations
The study only examined claims from one clinic and did not have data on education or income.
Participant Demographics
The clinic population was 55.1% female, with 45.1% younger than 18 years, and a diverse age distribution among users.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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