E-motions: Email for Written Emotional Expression

Strasser, Florian; Fisch, Michael J.; Bodurka, Diane C.; Sivesind, Debra; Bruera, Éduardo

doi:10.1200/jco.2002.20.15.3352

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Richards and Vigano [25,26] state in their critical review on online counseling that disinhibition seems to aid patients to express themselves more openly and honestly. Some patients find written expression to be a useful way of sharing concerns [9,27,28]. Second, patients sometimes perceive medical consultations in the hospital setting as hurried and stressful, with scant time to discuss all of their questions or concerns [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Several hypotheses could explain this. First, the sensitive and stigmatizing character of being infertile could make patients more reluctant to express their emotions and feelings in real-life settings to their physician [8,9]. The (relatively) anonymous feature of online communication has been theorized to facilitate and increased self-disclosure [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Another study found that e-mail communication could also facilitate emotional support communication between patients and their providers [8]. Patients can, for instance, be reluctant to discuss sensitive issues during outpatient visits or by telephone, and feel more comfortable doing so online [2,5,8,9]. It is even suggested that writing about stressful experiences could lead to reduction of physical or psychosocial symptoms [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Communication at an online infertility expert forum: provider responses to patients’ emotional and informational cues

Aarts

Oers

Faber

et al. 2015

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology

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Online patient-provider communication has become increasingly popular in fertility care. However, it is not known to what extent patients express cues or concerns and how providers respond. In this study, we investigated cues and responses that occur in online patient-provider communication at an infertility-specific expert forum. We extracted 106 threads from the multidisciplinary expert forum of two Dutch IVF clinics. We performed the following analyses: (1) thematic analysis of patients' questions; and (2) rating patients' emotional and informational cues and subsequent professionals' responses using an adaptation of the validated Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale. Frequencies of themes, frequencies of cues and responses, and sequences (what cue is followed by what response) were extracted. Sixty-five infertile patients and 19 providers participated. The most common themes included medication and lifestyle. Patients gave more informational than emotional cues (106 versus 64). Responses to informational cues were mostly adequate (61%). The most common response to emotional cues was empathic acknowledgment (72%). Results indicate that an online expert forum could have a positive effect on patient outcomes, which should guide future research. Offering infertile patients an expert forum to communicate with providers can be a promising supplement to usual care in both providing information and addressing patients' concerns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Communication at an online infertility expert forum: provider responses to patients’ emotional and informational cues

Aarts

Oers

Faber

et al. 2015

Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The covered entities are required to adopt written policies denoting who has access to the information and when it can be disclosed, to elect a privacy officer responsible for implementing the policies, to train staff in the execution of the policies, and to ensure that academic and business associates also protect patients' privacy [24]. The DHHS has also issued a proposed rule for security, which mandates that covered entities assess vulnerabilities and take measures to protect the security of electronic information transactions, including adhering to standards for digital signatures if they are used [25].…”

Section: Confidentialitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual Connections: Internet Health Care

et al. 2002

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Shortly before his death in 1995, Kenneth B. Schwartz, a cancer patient at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded The Kenneth B. Schwartz Center at MGH. The Schwartz Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health care delivery that provides hope to the patient, support to caregivers, and encourages the healing process. The Center sponsors the Schwartz Center Rounds, a monthly multidisciplinary forum where caregivers reflect on important psychosocial issues faced by patients, their families, and their caregivers, and gain insight and support from fellow staff members.The 20th century success of the Internet is now translating into changes in 21st century medical practice. The changes brought about by the Internet have at once facilitated and complicated the practice of medicine. Physicians and patients are challenged to take advantage of the increased opportunities afforded by Internet access while being mindful of its drawbacks and the limitations to virtual communication. The case of Karen Parles, one of the authors, is presented. Karen developed locally advanced lung cancer and used the Internet to research her diagnosis. She found the information on lung cancer limited and confusing, and, in response, developed a website devoted to empowering lung cancer patients in their search for information and support (http://www.lungcanceronline.org). Here we discuss issues surrounding patients' use of the Internet for health information and communication with health care providers. The value of information-seeking as a coping mechanism is debated, and concerns are raised regarding confidentiality of electronic communications and the logistics of physicians adopting e-mail as a mechanism for communicating with patients. The Oncologist 2002;7:555-568 LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Understand the increasingly important contribution of the Internet to information and connection for staff and patients with cancer.2. Evaluate the limited evidence on medical misinformation, isolation, and the limits of the Internet.3. Learn the best available oncology Internet resources.Access and take the CME test online and receive one hour of AMA PRA category 1 credit at CME.TheOncologist.com CME CME by guest on May 7, 2018http://theoncologist.alphamedpress.org/ Downloaded from

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“…Yet, others suggest that users have already adapted their communication styles to adjust to electronic mediums by relying on emoticons or emojis and textual emphasis (eg, ALL CAPS) to project relational content [ 37 , 38 ]. Similarly, patients have expressed value in the ability to formulate and articulate their questions for providers at their own convenience [ 28 , 30 ], often feeling more comfortable with disclosing personal details due to the psychological distance mentioned earlier [ 39 , 40 ]. Secure messaging has also been found to lower the threshold at which patients initiate communication, resulting in more interactions between physical encounters and perception of greater access [ 31 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patient Centeredness in Electronic Communication: Evaluation of Patient-to-Health Care Team Secure Messaging

Hogan¹,

Luger²,

Volkman³

et al. 2018

J Med Internet Res

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BackgroundAs information and communication technology is becoming more widely implemented across health care organizations, patient-provider email or asynchronous electronic secure messaging has the potential to support patient-centered communication. Within the medical home model of the Veterans Health Administration (VA), secure messaging is envisioned as a means to enhance access and strengthen the relationships between veterans and their health care team members. However, despite previous studies that have examined the content of electronic messages exchanged between patients and health care providers, less research has focused on the socioemotional aspects of the communication enacted through those messages.ObjectiveRecognizing the potential of secure messaging to facilitate the goals of patient-centered care, the objectives of this analysis were to not only understand why patients and health care team members exchange secure messages but also to examine the socioemotional tone engendered in these messages.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional coding evaluation of a corpus of secure messages exchanged between patients and health care team members over 6 months at 8 VA facilities. We identified patients whose medical records showed secure messaging threads containing at least 2 messages and compiled a random sample of these threads. Drawing on previous literature regarding the analysis of asynchronous, patient-provider electronic communication, we developed a coding scheme comprising a series of a priori patient and health care team member codes. Three team members tested the scheme on a subset of the messages and then independently coded the sample of messaging threads.ResultsOf the 711 messages coded from the 384 messaging threads, 52.5% (373/711) were sent by patients and 47.5% (338/711) by health care team members. Patient and health care team member messages included logistical content (82.6%, 308/373 vs 89.1%, 301/338), were neutral in tone (70.2%, 262/373 vs 82.0%, 277/338), and respectful in nature (25.7%, 96/373 vs 33.4%, 113/338). Secure messages from health care team members sometimes appeared hurried (25.4%, 86/338) but also displayed friendliness or warmth (18.9%, 64/338) and reassurance or encouragement (18.6%, 63/338). Most patient messages involved either providing or seeking information; however, the majority of health care team member messages involved information provision in response to patient questions.ConclusionsThis evaluation is an important step toward understanding the content and socioemotional tone that is part of the secure messaging exchanges between patients and health care team members. Our findings were encouraging; however, there are opportunities for improvement. As health care organizations seek to supplement traditional encounters with virtual care, they must reexamine their use of secure messaging, including the patient centeredness of the communication, and the potential for more proactive use by health care team members.

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E-motions: Email for Written Emotional Expression

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Communication at an online infertility expert forum: provider responses to patients’ emotional and informational cues

Communication at an online infertility expert forum: provider responses to patients’ emotional and informational cues

Virtual Connections: Internet Health Care

Patient Centeredness in Electronic Communication: Evaluation of Patient-to-Health Care Team Secure Messaging

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