The use of electronic mail between users and a primary health care team: a case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5712/rbmfc10(37)1167Keywords:
Eletronic Mail, Health Service Accessibility, Communication, Primary Health CareAbstract
This report describes the use of electronic mail by a primary health care team (PHT) in order to communicate with patients and aid in scheduling. Such use has emerged as a result of a process of facilitating access, both electronically and face-to-face. During a 25-month study period, users sent a total of 1437 messages with the purpose of scheduling appointments (61.5%), asking health-related questions (27.8%), and inquiring about services offered (7.6%). Women submitted 87% of the messages (63.3% of them were 20–40 years of age), with 60% of these messages concerning themselves and over 30% of them concerning their families. The team responded to 83% of messages within 8 business hours. According to the team, the use of electronic mail has improved communication and access, and has been well received by users without harming the most vulnerable groups. Further investigation is needed to assess the full contribution of this tool to primary health care.
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