How do patients use email to communicate with their doctor?

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Unsolicited patient emails are increasingly common in clinical practice.
• Understanding the nature and volume of these communications is crucial for efficient practice management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the characteristics of unsolicited emails sent by patients to a general obstetrician-gynecologist.
• To assess the clinical relevance and physician response to patient emails.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 60 unsolicited patient emails was conducted.
• Analysis included the time of email submission, content categorization (obstetric, gynecologic, nonclinical), and required physician actions.

Main Results:

• Most emails were sent during regular office hours.
• Gynecologic issues comprised 54% of the content, followed by obstetric concerns (27%).
• A significant portion (14%) required a follow-up phone call, and 29% necessitated an office visit.

Conclusions:

• Patient emails are generally used for non-emergency communication.
• The physician found email an efficient method for patient communication, enhancing flexibility in responding, especially when away from the office.