Email consultations in health care: Set your auto reply to "no"

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7473.1046-a

BMJ 2004;329:1046 (30 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7473.1046-a

Letter

Email consultations in health care

Set your auto reply to "no"

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Car and Sheikh's final conclusion, that makingemail communication more readily accepted as a part of routinemedical practice should be a key objective of the UK NHS informationtechnology strategy, may have unforeseen consequences for theNHS.^1
2 They point out that demand has been mainly patient led,and their data, mostly from the United States, indicate thatthe demand is from wealthier, younger patients.

The United States has a different health system from the UnitedKingdom. What Americans want may not be what UK patients want.The two health systems also have different health policy goals.The policy goal of the NHS is generally accepted as equal access,based on need. Poor and elderly people are the most needy andthe least likely to use the internet.^1
3 In each system, policyobjectives often need to be traded off against each other.⁴Using email for communication may offer . . . [Full text of this article]

Geoff Wong, general practitioner principal

Daleham Gardens Surgery, London NW3 5BY geoffrey.wong@nhs.net

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