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	Welcome   | My Account | E-mail Alerts | Access Rights | Sign In Vol. 3 No. 3, March 1994   Archives  •  Online Features ARTICLE  This Article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal The utility of electronic mail as a medium for patient-physician communication R. A. Neill, A. G. Mainous 3rd, J. R. Clark and M. D. Hagen Department of Family Practice, University of Kentucky, Lexington. OBJECTIVE: To examine patients' knowledge, use, and attitudes regarding electronic mail communication with their family physicians. DESIGN: Mail survey. SETTING: A university-based family practice center. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients (18 years and older) of full-time faculty physicians at a university-based family practice center who had seen their physicians at lease once in the 10-month period between July 1, 1992, and April 30, 1993 (N = 4094). Subjects were eligible for participation if both they and their physicians had an electronic mail address at the University of Kentucky, Lexington (n = 117). INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient-reported knowledge, use, and attitudes regarding the utility of electronic mail as a means of patient-physician communication. RESULTS: The response rate to the survey was 74% (n = 87). Patient-physician communication via electronic mail was positively perceived by patients for whom electronic mail was accessible Patient-physician communication via electronic mail was perceived to increase speed, convenience, and access to medical care. Electronic mail communication was perceived to be good for simple and nonurgent problems, such as refilling prescriptions, communicating laboratory results, and making appointments. Ninety percent of the patients who had corresponded with their physicians via electronic mail used the medium to discuss a medical problem. CONCLUSIONS: Although electronic mail is not presently in wide use for patient-physician communication, there is great potential for its widespread acceptance. THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES Enhancing Doctor-Patient Communication Using Email: A Pilot Study Leong et al. J Am Board Fam Med 2005;18:180-188. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   A 67-Year-Old Man Who e-Mails His Physician Slack JAMA 2004;292:2255-2261. FULL TEXT   Patient Experiences and Attitudes about Access to a Patient Electronic Health Care Record and Linked Web Messaging Hassol et al. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 2004;11:505-513. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Email consultations in health care: 2--acceptability and safe application Car and Sheikh BMJ 2004;329:439-442. FULL TEXT   A Content Analysis of E-mail Communication between Patients and Their Providers: Patients Get the Message White et al. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 2004;11:260-267. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Web Messaging: A New Tool for Patient-Physician Communication Liederman and Morefield J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 2003;10:260-270. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Parent and Physician Attitudes Regarding Electronic Communication in Pediatric Practices Kleiner et al. Pediatrics 2002;109:740-744. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   The Facts About E-mail Bergren The Journal of School Nursing 2001;17:274-277. ABSTRACT   Empowering Children and Families With Information Technology D'Alessandro and Dosa Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155:1131-1136. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Legal Issues Concerning Electronic Health Information: Privacy, Quality, and Liability Hodge et al. JAMA 1999;282:1466-1471. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Promoting partnerships: challenges for the internet age Jadad BMJ 1999;319:761-764. FULL TEXT   Technical and Clinical Progress in Telemedicine Strode et al. JAMA 1999;281:1066-1068. FULL TEXT   Patients Looking for Information on the Internet and Seeking Teleadvice: Motivation, Expectations, and Misconceptions as Expressed in E-mails Sent to Physicians Eysenbach and Diepgen Arch Dermatol 1999;135:151-156. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   The Origin, Content, and Workload of E-mail Consultations Borowitz and Wyatt JAMA 1998;280:1321-1324. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   Responses to Unsolicited Patient E-mail Requests for Medical Advice on the World Wide Web Eysenbach and Diepgen JAMA 1998;280:1333-1335. ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT   The Electronic House Call Mainous III et al. Arch Fam Med 1998;7:210-210. FULL TEXT   Guide to the Internet: Electronic mail Pallen BMJ 1995;311:1487-1490. FULL TEXT   HOME | CURRENT ISSUE | PAST ISSUES | TOPIC COLLECTIONS | CME | PHYSICIAN JOBS | HELP CONDITIONS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT US | SITE MAP   © 1994 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.