When people think of healthcare recommendations, the first place that may come to mind is a website or social network where they can find testimonials, build relationships with physicians and peers, and ask questions. But an “old-fashioned” form of communication – email still has many benefits, including as a great reminder tool?
When people think of healthcare recommendations, the first place that may come to mind is a website or social network where they can find testimonials, build relationships with physicians and peers, and ask questions. But an “old-fashioned” form of communication – email still has many benefits, including as a great reminder tool?
Besides being a great personal relationship builder, email can be an excellent reminder tool for physicians juggling lots of plates. For example, according to a recent study published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology, email alerts encourage cancer doctors to talk with terminally ill patients about their end-of-life wishes and record these preferences in their medical records.
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Researchers said oncologists who were reminded each time one of their patients started a new chemotherapy regimen were more than twice as likely to note patients’ wishes before they became very sick. Doctors tend to wait for a patient’s condition to get much worse before bringing up their end-of-life wishes, researchers said. Email reminders helped doctors start those discussions sooner.