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Table 3 Participants’ reasons and types of use of email communication

From: Use of email, cell phone and text message between patients and primary-care physicians: cross-sectional study in a French-speaking part of Switzerland

Reasons and types of uses

n (%)

Reasons for using email communication:

 To reassure the patient

130 (48.7)

 To reassure the doctor

29 (10.9)

 To improve the patient-doctor relationship

106 (39.7)

 To save time

57 (21.3)

 To avoid unnecessary consultations

119 (44.6)

 Othera

54 (20.2)

Discussion of confidentiality issues:

 Never

144 (53.9)

 1–25 %

30 (11.2)

 25–50 %

13 (4.9)

 50–75 %

6 (2.2)

 Always

59 (22.1)

Discussion of rules of use:

 No

170 (63.7)

 Number of emails

22 (8.2)

 Content of emails

34 (12.7)

 Delay to answer

55 (20.6)

Time of answer:

 Any time

138 (53.7)

 During the week but not on weekends

60 (23.3)

 Never in the evenings or on weekends

28 (10.9)

 Specific slots

18 (7.0)

 Other

13 (5.1)

Reimbursement of email communication:

 Never

162 (63.0)

 1–25 %

38 (14.8)

 25–50 %

19 (7.4)

 50–75 %

18 (7.0)

 Always

20 (7.8)

Documentation of email communication in the medical file:

 Never

27 (10.4)

 Rarely

26 (10.0)

 Occasionally

46 (17.8)

 Often

66 (25.5)

 Always

94 (36.3)

  1. aTravelling patient, chronic disease follow-up