Email Consultations Between Patients and Doctors in Primary Care: Content Analysis

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Remote consultations via technology are increasing in healthcare.
• Email offers asynchronous, text-based communication for patient-provider interactions.
• Previous content analyses of email consultations were primarily North American-based.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a UK-based content analysis of email consultations in general practice.
• To explore and delineate the content, use, and function of email consultations between general practitioners (GPs) and patients.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of anonymized email consultations from two UK general practices.
• Examination of descriptive elements: timing, volume, and content nature.
• Normative approach to analyze usage and function.

Main Results:

• 100 email consultations (262 emails) analyzed, primarily from patients over 40.
• Consultations were generally short, resolved within days, and predominantly clinical.
• Key themes: GP role, transactional nature, and operationalization of email consultations.

Conclusions:

• Email consultations in UK general practice are often brief, clinical, and efficiently resolved.
• GPs utilize similar approaches to face-to-face consultations but may face increased administrative tasks.
• Email consultations serve as a complementary tool, not a replacement for in-person visits.