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Fax/modem board communications decrease preceptor communication costs
D R Cole1, M S Johnson, C J Heaton
1Department of Family Medicine, UMDMJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark.
Background:
Mail and the telephone are common communication links between departments of family medicine and their community-based preceptors. The availability of low-cost fax/modem boards offers the potential for new communication methods. This study compares the cost of personal computer-based fax/modem board communications with traditional mail and telephone linkages.
Methods:
The department's community preceptor faculty served as the study population. Sixty-eight physicians (54%) had fax machines; these physicians received faxes instead of mailed communications. The remaining 59 physicians (46%) received mailed communications. All preceptors received standard telephone calls. Costs for telephone, mail, and fax/modem board communications were tracked over a 4-month period.
Results:
Faxes were significantly less expensive and more efficient than either telephone or mail communications. Telephone communications were the most expensive.
Conclusions:
The study suggests that fax/modem boards offer a communication linkage with preceptors that is more economical than either mail or telephone.