Patients' Experiences with Secure Internet Communication with Their Doctor
Author Information
Author(s): Tjora Aksel, Tran Trung, Faxvaag Arild
Primary Institution: Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Hypothesis
How do patients experience using a secure electronic communication system with their general practitioner?
Conclusion
Patients perceive a need for secure electronic communication with their doctors, but security barriers can hinder its overall usefulness.
Supporting Evidence
- About half of the patients experienced easier access to their physician through the system.
- Two thirds of the respondents found that their physician quickly responded to their MedAxess requests.
- Patients felt that the log-in procedure was cumbersome, which negatively impacted the actual use of the system.
Takeaway
This study looked at how patients feel about using a secure online system to talk to their doctors. They found it helpful but sometimes hard to use because of complicated log-in steps.
Methodology
Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 patients who used a secure communication system to exchange personal health information with their primary care physician.
Limitations
The study was limited to a qualitative approach and may not represent the experiences of all patients.
Participant Demographics
Patients were users of the MedAxess system, registered at one GP office in Trondheim, Norway.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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