Guidelines for E-mail Communication between Physicians and Patients23
| Establish turnaround time for messages. |
| Inform patients of the appropriate usage of e-mail. |
| Do not use e-mail for urgent matters or medical emergencies (such as chest pain, shortness of breath); instead call 911 or the office. |
| Do not use e-mail for sensitive matters (HIV, mental health issues, etc) |
| E-mail is best suited for brief communications. Office appointments are more appropriate for more complex issues. |
| E-mail communication is not a substitute for medical examination. |
| Put the type of transaction (such as prescription refill, referral, medical advice, etc) on the subject line. |
| Include name and patient identification number in the body of the message. |
| If a reply is needed before an e-mail is received from the physician, call the office. |
| Inform patients of privacy issues |
| The potential risk of the e-mail being read by a hacker or patient employer if patient is using e-mail at work.. |
| The e-mail will be included as part of the medical record. |
| Office staff may handle the message. |
| Establish with whom and under what circumstances the physician may share the patient’s e-mail, such as consulting another physician. (When consulting another physician by e-mail, consider omitting the patient’s name and e-mail address). |
| Patient’s e-mail address will not be used for marketing purposes. |
| Use automatic reply to acknowledge the receipt of messages. |
| Use “out-of-the-office” automatic reply and instruct patients on whom to call for assistance |
| Request patients to reply and confirm the receipt of the physician’s message, especially important messages. |
| Use professional language, avoiding anger, sarcasm, or harsh criticism. |
| Develop archival and retrieval mechanisms. |
| Use the blind copy feature when sending group mailings to maintain recipients’ privacy. |
| Develop a patient-physician agreement and informed consent for the use of e-mail, including the above guidelines. This should be discussed and documented in the patient’s medical record. |