Despite growing public demand, only 20% of American physicians connect with patients online, and half of those who don't connect say they have no intention of doing so. These are the findings of Taking the pulse: physicians and the Internet, a survey of 1200 primary care physicians and specialists.
Doctors who do email patients said they believe it strengthens their relationship and is more efficient than other means of communication. However, 80% of those who don't consult with patients this way believe electronic communication “dilutes and minimizes” the physician–patient relationship and say they prefer face-to-face interaction.
Results from the nationally representative sample of physicians, conducted by phone in June and July 2000, indicate a prevailing attitude that the Internet is not critical to medical practice.
“There are 2 solitudes here [physicians and patients] and they aren't communicating,” says Hy Eliasoph of Deloitte & Touche, the consulting firm that conducted the survey.
Many doctors are “Web resistant” in various ways. Those who refuse to link with patients in cyberspace cite concerns about receiving too much email (60%), professional liability (50%) and not being reimbursed for their time (40%). “Most physicians believe that email is an alternative to — not a supplement to — face-to-face visits,” says Eliasoph. “This is not the case.”
The survey found that even though 59% of respondents think that the Internet will “radically improve communication among patients, providers and payers,” only 21% agree that it is essential to their practice today. This attitude appears to be reflected in the battering that health-based dot.com companies have taken in the stock market in the past year.