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Expanding the guidelines for electronic communication with patients: application to a specific tool
S L Prady1, D Norris, J E Lester
1Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. Prady@Helix.mgh.harvard.edu
Summary
Developing site-specific guidelines is crucial for safe and effective patient-provider communication using web-based tools. This ensures clear protocols for interactive health platforms, enhancing the clinical use of electronic messaging and the World Wide Web.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Health Communication Technology
Background:
- The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) published guidelines for electronic mail in 1998.
- Increasing interest exists in using World Wide Web tools for clinical communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide advice on developing site-specific guidelines for Internet-based patient-provider communication tools.
- To share experiences from developing guidelines for PatientWeb at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Main Methods:
- Reviewing existing frameworks for electronic patient communication.
- Developing and refining site-specific guidelines based on practical experience.
- Providing examples of guideline development for web-based patient portals.
Main Results:
- Internet-based systems can centralize patient information and integrate interactive tools.
- Site-specific guidelines are necessary to address unique challenges of web-based services.
- Experience from PatientWeb informed practical advice for guideline creation.
Conclusions:
- Developing tailored guidelines is essential for the successful implementation of web-based clinical communication tools.
- Such guidelines enhance the safe and effective use of technologies like PatientWeb.
- This approach supports improved patient engagement and information access.