Effect of a Triage-based E-mail System on Clinic Resource Use and Patient and Physician Satisfaction in Primary Care
dc.contributor.author | Katz, Steven J. | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Moyer, Cheryl A. | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Cox, Douglas T. | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Stern, David T. | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2010-06-01T19:59:43Z | |
dc.date.available | 2010-06-01T19:59:43Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2003-09 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Katz, Steven J.; Moyer, Cheryl A.; Cox, Douglas T.; Stern, David T. (2003). "Effect of a Triage-based E-mail System on Clinic Resource Use and Patient and Physician Satisfaction in Primary Care." Journal of General Internal Medicine 18(9): 736-744. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/73123> | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 0884-8734 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1525-1497 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/73123 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=12950483&dopt=citation | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | E-mail communication between patients and their providers has diffused slowly in clinical practice. To address concerns about the use of this technology, we performed a randomized controlled trial of a triage-based e-mail system in primary care. DESIGN AND PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: Physicians in 2 university-affiliated primary care centers were randomized to a triage-based e-mail system promoted to their patients. E-mails from patients of intervention physicians were routed to a central account and parsed to the appropriate staff for response. Control group physicians and their patients did not have access to the system. We collected information on patient e-mail use, phone calls, and visit distribution by physician over the 10 months and performed physician and patient surveys to examine attitudes about communication. RESULTS: E-mail volume was greater for intervention versus control physicians (46 weekly e-mails per 100 scheduled visits vs 9 in the control group at the study midpoint; P < .01) but there were no between-group differences in phone volume (67 weekly phone calls per 100 scheduled visits vs 55 in the control group; P = .45) or rates of patient no-shows (5% in both groups; P = .77). Intervention physicians reported more favorable attitudes toward electronic communication than did control physicians but there were no differences in attitudes toward patient or staff communication in general. There were few between-group differences in patient attitudes toward electronic communication or communication in general. CONCLUSIONS: E-mail generated through a triage-based system did not appear to substitute for phone communication or to reduce visit no-shows in a primary care setting. Physicians' attitudes toward electronic communication were improved, but physicians' and patients' attitudes toward general communication did not change. Growth of e-mail communication in primary care settings may not improve the efficiency of clinical care. | en_US |
dc.format.extent | 1541714 bytes | |
dc.format.extent | 3109 bytes | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.format.mimetype | text/plain | |
dc.publisher | Blackwell Science Inc | en_US |
dc.rights | 2003 by the Society of General Internal Medicine | en_US |
dc.subject.other | en_US | |
dc.subject.other | Utilization | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Primary Care | en_US |
dc.subject.other | On-line Communication | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Patient-provider Communication | en_US |
dc.title | Effect of a Triage-based E-mail System on Clinic Resource Use and Patient and Physician Satisfaction in Primary Care | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Internal Medicine and Specialties | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Health Sciences | en_US |
dc.description.peerreviewed | Peer Reviewed | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | Received from the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System (SJK, DTS); the Division of General Medicine (SJK, CAM, DTS), Michigan Collaborative for Health Informatics, Department of Internal Medicine (DTC), and the Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health (SJK), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. | en_US |
dc.identifier.pmid | 12950483 | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73123/1/j.1525-1497.2003.20756.x.pdf | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2003.20756.x | en_US |
dc.identifier.source | Journal of General Internal Medicine | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Ball M, Lillis J. E-health: transforming the physician/patient relationship. Int J Med Inf. 2001; 61: 1 – 10. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Starr P. Health care reform and the new economy. Health Aff. 2000; 19: 23 – 32. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Kassirer J. Patients, physicians, and the Internet. Health Aff. 2000; 19: 115 – 23. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Cole JI, Suman M, Schramm P, et al. The UCLA Internet Report. Surveying the Digital Future. Year Two, 2001. Available at: http://ccp.ucla.edu/pdf/UCLA-Internet-Report-2001.pdf. Accessed June 25, 2003. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | 5. The Harris Poll. Patient/physician online communication: many patients want it, would pay for it, and it would influence their choice of doctors and health plans. Harris Interactive Health Care News. 2002; 2: 1 – 4. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Sittig D, King S, Hazlehurst B. A survey of patient-provider e-mail communication: What do patients think? Int J Med Inf. 2001; 61: 71 – 80. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Moyer C, Stern D, Katz S, Fendrick A. We got mail: electronic communication between physicians and patients. Am J Manag Care. 1999; 5: 1513 – 22. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Moyer C, Stern D, Dobias K, Cox D, Katz S. Bridging the electronic divide: patient and provider perspectives on e-mail communication in primary care. Am J Manag Care. 2002; 8: 427 – 33. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Kleinke J. Vaporware.com: the failed promise of the health care Internet. Health Aff. 2000; 19: 57 – 71. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Baur C. Limiting factors on the transformative powers of e-mail in patient-physician relationships: a critical analysis. Health Commun. 2000; 12: 239 – 59. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Goldsmith J. The Internet and managed care: A new wave of innovation. Health Aff. 2000; 19: 42 – 56. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Anema MG, Brown BE. Increasing survey responses using the total design method. J Contin Educ Nurs. 1995; 26: 109 – 14. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Kao AC, Green DC, Zaslavsky AM, Koplan JP, Cleary PD, for the Institute for Ethics AMACIU. The relationship between method of physician payment and patient trust. JAMA. 1998; 280: 1708 – 14. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | White C, Moyer C, Stern D, Cox D, Katz S. A content analysis of e-mail communication between patients and their providers: patients get the message. J Gen Intern Med. 2002; 17 (suppl): 245. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Prady S, Norris D, Lester J, Hoch D. Expanding the guidelines for electronic communication with patients: application to a specific tool. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2001; 8: 344 – 8. | en_US |
dc.owningcollname | Interdisciplinary and Peer-Reviewed |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.