1 / 16

Communicating with patients by e-mail

Communicating with patients by e-mail REST 5114: Introduction to Computing Instructors: Titus Schleyer, Heiko Spallek E-mail is ... … somewhere between letter-writing and talking. … more spontaneous than letter-writing. … less private than postal mail or telephone calls.

flora
Download Presentation

Communicating with patients by e-mail

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Communicating with patients by e-mail REST 5114: Introduction to Computing Instructors: Titus Schleyer, Heiko Spallek

  2. E-mail is ... … somewhere between letter-writing and talking. … more spontaneous than letter-writing. … less private than postal mail or telephone calls. … asynchronous.

  3. E-mail ... … creates a written record. … is useful for information a patient would have to remember. … is self-documenting. … is used by 113M Americans1. … is used by 8M Americans for communication with health professionals2. 1www.pewinternet.org/reports/chart.asp?img=Internet_Activities.htm 2www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=95

  4. The path of an e-mail message Really? computer computer dentist patient

  5. 5-min in-class exercise • Draw/write what you think is the real path of an e-mail message on the 5x7 card provided. (Please write/draw legibly.) • (Tip: There may be multiple possibilities.) • Then, hand your card to your neighbor.

  6. real The path of an e-mail message

  7. When sending e-mail … … double-check the “To:” line. … assure that the recipient can easily communicate with you or your designee. … use private (v. work) e-mail address for patient when possible. … inform patients about privacy issues. … use minimum necessary information (HIPAA).

  8. General policies • Respect patient preferences for communication. • Do not use e-mail for urgent matters. • Provide an alternate communication channel. • Include messages as part of medical record. • Request “message received” receipt. • Request “message read” receipt.

  9. General policies (cont.) • Establish type of transactions permitted over e-mail (e.g. appointment, prescription refill). • Instruct patients to put category of transaction (e.g. “billing question,” “medical advice” in subject line). • When sending group mailings, make sure recipients are not visible to each other.

  10. General policies (cont.) • Avoid anger, sarcasm, harsh criticism, and libelous references to third parties in messages. • Do not share professional e-mail accounts with family members.

  11. Mediocolegal guidelines • Obtain patient's informed consent for use of e-mail: • Itemize terms in Communication Guidelines. • Provide instructions for when and how to escalate to phone calls and office visits. • Indemnify the health care institution for information loss due technical failures. • Waive encryption requirement, if any, at patient's insistence.

  12. Mediocolegal guidelines (cont.) • Never forward patient-identifiable information to a third party without the patient's express permission. • Print all messages, with replies and confirmation of receipt, and place in patient's paper chart. • Use encryption for all messages if available.

  13. Mediocolegal guidelines (cont.) • Auto-Reply text: "Your message has been received by Dr. Leslie Smith. I will attempt to process your request- within one business day. If you need immediate assistance, please call Pat, my assistant, at 444-555-6666.“ • Use password-protected screen saver. • Perform at least weekly backups of e-mail.

  14. In-class exercise • Read the e-mail message on the following slide and identify three issues/problems. • Record the issues/problems on your 5x7 card.

  15. Further reading • Patt MR, Houston TK, Jenckes MW, Sands DZ, Ford DE. Doctors who are using e-mail with their patients: a qualitative exploration. J Med Internet Res. 2003 Apr-Jun;5(2):e9. • Bodenheimer T, Grumbach K. Electronic technology: a spark to revitalize primary care? JAMA. 2003 Jul 9;290(2):259-64. • Ezenkwele UA, Sites FD, Shofer FS, Pritchett EN, Hollander JE. A randomized study of electronic mail versus telephone follow-up after emergency department visit. J Emerg Med. 2003 Feb;24(2):125-30.

More Related