Patient use of email for health care communication purposes across 14 European countries: an analysis of users according to demographic and health-related factors
Patient use of email for health care communication purposes across 14 European countries: an analysis of users according to demographic and health-related factors
Background: the use of the Internet for health purposes is growing steadily, yet the use of asynchronous communication tools for health care purposes remains undeveloped. The introduction of email as a method of communication in health care has the potential to impact on both patients and health care professionals.
Objective: this study aims to describe the characteristics of people who have sent or received an email to or from their doctor, nurse, or health care organization, by country and in relation to demographics, health care resource use, and health status factors.
Methods: we conducted a secondary analysis of data (N=14,000) collected from the online Citizens and Information Communication Technology for Health survey, a project undertaken in 2011 by the Institute for Prospective Technology Studies of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. The survey was developed to understand and characterize European citizens’ use of information communication technologies for health. Descriptive and statistical analyses of association were used to interpret the data.
Results: Denmark reported the highest level of emails sent/received (507/1000, 50.70%). The lowest level reported was by participants in France (187/1000, 18.70%). Men used email communication for health care more than women, as did respondents in the 16-24 age group and those educated to tertiary level or still within the education system. As self-reported health state worsens, the proportion of people reporting having sent or received an email within the context of health care increases. Email use, poor health, multimorbidity, and number of visits to a physician are positively correlated.
Conclusions: the use of email communication within the context of European health care is extremely varied. The relationship between high email use, poor health, doctor visits, and multimorbidity is especially pertinent: provision of asynchronous communication for such groups is favored by policymakers. Low reported email use by country may not necessarily reflect low interest in using email for health care: local health policies and technical infrastructures may be significant factors in the delay in implementation of alternative forms of routine health communication.
Newhouse, Nikki
c06bd8a8-a665-4c77-b443-06e5cba97c96
Lupiáñez-Villanueva, Francisco
b7b80d3e-32d6-4863-aaf0-ade535f95961
Codagnone, Cristiano
a3cdc255-770a-413c-9052-1e683d51a5f1
Atherton, Helen
9bb8932e-7bb7-4781-ab97-114613de99b1
6 March 2015
Newhouse, Nikki
c06bd8a8-a665-4c77-b443-06e5cba97c96
Lupiáñez-Villanueva, Francisco
b7b80d3e-32d6-4863-aaf0-ade535f95961
Codagnone, Cristiano
a3cdc255-770a-413c-9052-1e683d51a5f1
Atherton, Helen
9bb8932e-7bb7-4781-ab97-114613de99b1
Newhouse, Nikki, Lupiáñez-Villanueva, Francisco, Codagnone, Cristiano and Atherton, Helen
(2015)
Patient use of email for health care communication purposes across 14 European countries: an analysis of users according to demographic and health-related factors.
Journal of Medical Internet Research, 17 (3), [e58].
(doi:10.2196/jmir.3700).
Abstract
Background: the use of the Internet for health purposes is growing steadily, yet the use of asynchronous communication tools for health care purposes remains undeveloped. The introduction of email as a method of communication in health care has the potential to impact on both patients and health care professionals.
Objective: this study aims to describe the characteristics of people who have sent or received an email to or from their doctor, nurse, or health care organization, by country and in relation to demographics, health care resource use, and health status factors.
Methods: we conducted a secondary analysis of data (N=14,000) collected from the online Citizens and Information Communication Technology for Health survey, a project undertaken in 2011 by the Institute for Prospective Technology Studies of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. The survey was developed to understand and characterize European citizens’ use of information communication technologies for health. Descriptive and statistical analyses of association were used to interpret the data.
Results: Denmark reported the highest level of emails sent/received (507/1000, 50.70%). The lowest level reported was by participants in France (187/1000, 18.70%). Men used email communication for health care more than women, as did respondents in the 16-24 age group and those educated to tertiary level or still within the education system. As self-reported health state worsens, the proportion of people reporting having sent or received an email within the context of health care increases. Email use, poor health, multimorbidity, and number of visits to a physician are positively correlated.
Conclusions: the use of email communication within the context of European health care is extremely varied. The relationship between high email use, poor health, doctor visits, and multimorbidity is especially pertinent: provision of asynchronous communication for such groups is favored by policymakers. Low reported email use by country may not necessarily reflect low interest in using email for health care: local health policies and technical infrastructures may be significant factors in the delay in implementation of alternative forms of routine health communication.
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Accepted/In Press date: 9 January 2015
Published date: 6 March 2015
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 486570
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/486570
ISSN: 1438-8871
PURE UUID: e2ee7787-28a5-499f-bdd5-561316ea7a29
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Date deposited: 26 Jan 2024 17:39
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:18
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Author:
Nikki Newhouse
Author:
Francisco Lupiáñez-Villanueva
Author:
Cristiano Codagnone
Author:
Helen Atherton
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