ArticleBMC health services research2016
Use of email, cell phone and text message between patients and primary-care physicians: cross-sectional study in a French-speaking part of Switzerland.
Article in BMC health services research, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The impact of eHealth use on general practice workload in the pre-COVID-19 era: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- Analysis of the Capacities of Health Facilities in the Eastern Visayas Region based on Health Care Provider Network Service Delivery Guidelines.Acta medica Philippina · 2026Article
- The Use of E-mail in Primary Care: Characterization of the Reality of a Family Health Unit.Cureus · 2025Article
- Analysis of preferences and responses to recall in adolescent and young adult head and neck cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Parents' and carers' attitudes to the use of digital technology and its role in the care of children with complex needs.The British journal of occupational therapy · 2024Article
- Effectiveness and safety of asynchronous telemedicine consultations in general practice: a systematic review.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Evaluation of clustering and topic modeling methods over health-related tweets and emails.Artificial intelligence in medicine · 2021Article
- The prevalence, reasons and attitudes for the practice of informal medicine.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Article
- Email Consultations Between Patients and Doctors in Primary Care: Content Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Article
- Email Use Reconsidered in Health Professions Education: Viewpoint.JMIR medical education · 2020Article
- Assessment of Use and Preferences Regarding Internet-Based Health Care Delivery: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2019Article
- Acceptability of text messages for safety netting patients with low-risk cancer symptoms: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysicians' daily work is increasingly affected by the use of emails, text messages and cell phone calls with their patients. The aim of this study was to describe their use between primary-care physicians and patients in a French-speaking part of Switzerland.
methodsA cross-sectional mail survey was conducted among all primary-care physicians of Geneva canton (n = 636). The questionnaire focused on the frequency of giving access to, type of use, advantages and disadvantages of email, cell phone calls and text messages communication between physicians and patients.
resultsSix hundred thirty-six questionnaires were mailed, 412 (65 %) were returned and 372 (58 %) could be analysed (37 refusals and three blanks). Seventy-two percent physicians gave their email-address and 74 % their cell phone number to their patients. Emails were used to respond to patients' questions (82 %) and change appointments (72 %) while cell phone calls and text messages were used to follow patients' health conditions. Sixty-four percent of those who used email communication never discussed the rules for email exchanges, and 54 % did not address confidentiality issues with their patients. Most commonly identified advantages of emails, cell phone calls and text messages were improved relationship with the patient, saving time (for emails) and improving the follow-up (for cell phone and text messages). The main disadvantages included misuse by the patient, interference with private life and lack of reimbursement.
conclusionsThese tools are widely used by primary-care physicians with their patients. More attention should be paid to confidentiality, documentation and reimbursement when using email communication in order to optimize its use.
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