Physicians' Use of Email With Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Robert G Brooks, Nir Menachemi
Primary Institution: Florida State University College of Medicine
Hypothesis
What factors influence physicians' use of email to communicate with patients and their adherence to best practices?
Conclusion
The study found that only a small percentage of physicians use email to communicate with patients and even fewer adhere to established guidelines.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 16.6% of physicians reported using email to communicate with patients.
- Only 2.9% of physicians used email frequently for patient communication.
- Physicians in larger practices were more likely to use email with patients.
Takeaway
Most doctors don't use email to talk to patients, and even when they do, they often don't follow the recommended rules for doing it safely.
Methodology
Cross-sectional survey of primary care physicians and a random sample of clinical specialists in Florida.
Potential Biases
Potential response bias due to self-reporting and the exclusion of non-respondents.
Limitations
The study's response rate may limit the generalizability of the findings, and it relies on self-reported data.
Participant Demographics
{"age":"Mean 50.64 years (range 30–86)","gender":"75.9% male","race":{"Caucasian":"68.4%","Hispanic":"12.8%","Asian":"10.3%","African-American":"3.2%","Other":"5.3%"}}
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI = 1.01-3.79 for practice size; 95% CI = 0.14-0.49 for Asian-American race
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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