Email for clinical communication between healthcare professionals

Goyder, Clare; Atherton, Helen; Car, Mate; Heneghan, Carl; Car, Josip

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd007979.pub3

Cited by 37 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…However, we also suggest that any email alerts to physicians might harm some patients. This possibility is intriguing in the face of uncertainty about patient‐relevant outcomes or harms in other email interventions, other computerized reminders and many other interventions to implement prevention in primary care or effective medicine use by consumers . Informational interventions, such as automated paper notes, electronic reminders, clinical decision support elements, best practice alerts, push notifications, short messaging service, pop‐ups, robocalls and so on, are rapidly and widely implemented worldwide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomized trial results of alerting primary clinicians to severe weight loss among older adults in the Low Indexes of Metabolism Intervention Trial part A

Tsabar

Press

Rotman³

et al. 2020

Geriatrics Gerontology Int

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Aim To test whether alerting clinicians to severe weight loss in older patients leads to higher dietitian visit rates, to higher body mass index (BMI) levels and, mainly, to lower annual death risk. Methods The randomized controlled trial included patients aged ≥75 years, with BMI ≤23 kg/m2 that decreased ≥2 kg/m2 during the previous 2 years. All participants received usual care. Additionally, an email alert was sent only to clinicians of participants assigned to the email alert group. The follow‐up period was 12 months. Results Among 706 participants (mean age 83 ± 6 years; mean baseline BMI 20.5 kg/m2), the BMI record was updated in 541 (77%) participants, and 123 participants died. Dietitian visits were reported for 22 patients (6%) in the email group (n = 362) and 14 patients (4%) in the control group (n = 344; OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.8–2.9; P = 0.24). Measured BMI were raised by a mean of 0.69 (95% CI 0.43–0.95) kg/m2 versus 0.79 (95% CI 0.48–1.1) kg/m2 (P = 0.63). A total of 77 patients (21%) died in the intervention group versus 47 (14%) in the control group (P = 0.008; number needed to harm = 13; 95% CI 7–43). Conclusions In this trial, alerting clinical staff to severe weight loss in patients aged ≥75 years was not associated with higher visit rates to a dietitian or change in BMI, but was associated with a significantly higher death rate than usual clinical care. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 329–335.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Randomized trial results of alerting primary clinicians to severe weight loss among older adults in the Low Indexes of Metabolism Intervention Trial part A

Tsabar

Press

Rotman³

et al. 2020

Geriatrics Gerontology Int

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“…Thus, there is a need to understand how to promote access to, and ultimately use of, audit and feedback tools among physicians. Email is commonly used to communicate with physicians and can be an effective channel for encouraging guideline-recommended care [3] and access to online educational opportunities [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing Emails Aimed at Increasing Family Physicians� Use of a Web-Based Audit and Feedback Tool to Improve Cancer Screening Rates: Cocreation Process (Preprint)

Bravo¹,

Llovet²,

Witteman³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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Background: Providing clinical performance data to health professionals, a process known as audit and feedback, can play an important role in health system improvement. However, audit and feedback tools can only be effective if the targeted health professionals access and actively review their data. Email is a popular channel for communicating with physicians and could be used to encourage engagement with performance data; however, little guidance exists for the development of effective email messages in this context.

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“…[3][4][5][6] A recent Cochrane review on the effects of e-mail for communication between health care professionals identified only one trial, providing insufficient evidence for guiding clinical practice regarding the use of e-mail between health care professionals. 7 E-mail advantages include convenience and low cost. The written nature of the e-mail can be of value as a reference for the patient.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

E-Mail Communication Practices and Preferences Among Patients and Providers in a Large Comprehensive Cancer Center

Cook

Maganti

Dobriyal

et al. 2016

JOP

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Purpose: Little is known about how electronic mail (e-mail) is currently used in oncology practice to facilitate patient care. The objective of our study was to understand the current e-mail practices and preferences of patients and physicians in a large comprehensive cancer center. Methods: Separate cross-sectional surveys were administered to patients and physicians (staff physicians and clinical fellows) at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with current e-mail use. Record review was performed to assess the impact of e-mail communication on care. Results: The survey was completed by 833 patients. E-mail contact with a member of the health care team was reported by 41% of respondents. The team members contacted included administrative assistants (52%), nurses (45%), specialist physicians (36%), and family physicians (18%). Patient factors associated with a higher likelihood of e-mail contact with the health care team included younger age, higher education, higher income, enrollment in a clinical trial, and receipt of multiple treatments. Eighty percent of physicians (n = 63 of 79) reported previous contact with a patient via e-mail. Physician factors associated with a greater likelihood of e-mail contact with patients included older age, more senior clinical position, and higher patient volume. Nine hundred sixty-two patient records were reviewed, with e-mail correspondence documented in only 9% of cases. Conclusion: E-mail is commonly used for patient care but is poorly documented. The use of e-mail in this setting can be developed with appropriate guidance; however, there may be concerns about widening the gap between certain groups of patients.

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Email for clinical communication between healthcare professionals

Cited by 37 publications

References 52 publications

Randomized trial results of alerting primary clinicians to severe weight loss among older adults in the Low Indexes of Metabolism Intervention Trial part A

Randomized trial results of alerting primary clinicians to severe weight loss among older adults in the Low Indexes of Metabolism Intervention Trial part A

Designing Emails Aimed at Increasing Family Physicians� Use of a Web-Based Audit and Feedback Tool to Improve Cancer Screening Rates: Cocreation Process (Preprint)

E-Mail Communication Practices and Preferences Among Patients and Providers in a Large Comprehensive Cancer Center

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