The impact of patient-physician Web messaging on provider productivity

J Healthc Inf Manag. 2005 Spring;19(2):81-6.

Abstract

Patients increasingly want electronic access to providers, but physicians have been slow to offer e-access, fearing they will be overwhelmed by unreimbursed patient messages. This article reports on efforts to measure how patient-provider Web messaging affects physician productivity. To measure productivity, researchers analyzed the work of a group of physicians using a secure Web messaging system, compared with a control group that did not use the system. Results showed that physicians using the electronic media to communicate had about a 10 percent increase in productivity. Secure Web messaging's benefits also outweigh those of e-mail in increasing productivity and allaying concerns of physicians.

MeSH terms

  • Efficiency*
  • Internet / statistics & numerical data*
  • Physician-Patient Relations*
  • Telemedicine
  • United States