There’s been a lot of talk about implementing an electronic health and medical records system. Experts argue modernizing records can save the exhausted health care system billions of dollars — by cutting administrative costs, reducing medical errors, and improving care quality.
A main theme of electronic records is improved communication between health care providers.
So, what about email and electronic communication between patients and doctors? Is it a good thing?
In California, health insurer Kaiser Permanente started a program enabling patients and doctors to communicate by email two years ago, reported the San Francisco-based Bay Area News Group.
Kaiser’s system notifies the doctor or patient by email when there is a message for them on the California insurer’s secure website.
“I think that [email] is very useful when a patient needs clarification of issues we discussed in an appointment, ” says Dr. Daniel Combitsis, a Kaiser primary care physician.
“It’s also helpful when discussing lab tests. Rather than trying to get someone on the phone, or just sending a letter a few days later, I can explain their [test] results in a non-pressure timely message, ” added Dr.Combitsis.
Most agree that email between patients and doctors can be a time and money saver. But sometimes, emails lead to miscommunications.
As humans, a big part of our everyday communication is based off of physical reactions — including facial expression and tone of voice.
“Most of what we do as physicians is to understand and interpret communications. Even when we speak to a patient on the phone, a layer is taken out of that communication process, ” said Dr. Caren Vance.
“I can read a level of anxiety in person, and even on the phone, but not in an e-mail, ” contended Dr. Vance.
Generally, health care professionals agree with Dr. Vance. Email shouldn’t replace personal contact and physical appointments, wrote Bay Area News article, it should supplement a patient’s relationship with their doctor.
“It’s not useful as a discussion of an initial problem, but it’s wonderful for a problem that may have come back after initially resolving. It allows the conversation to continue rather than waiting for a return visit, ” said Dr. William Lide, a Kaiser dermatologist.