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Easier records

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e-mail into Surgery Manager

E-mail fits between telephone and letters.

The American Medical internet Association (AMIA) and the British Health Internet Association (BHIA) are both working on guidelines for dealing with patient e-mail.
In Stanford Universtiy it is reported a third of health-centre - patient interactions are by e-mail.

The simplest and best solution seems to be to store either a link to each e-mail, or the text itself, in the patient record in the clinical software. No currently available system (AFAIK) does this. Obviously, in any open system one can arrange to do it.

Automatic

If an e-mail will not be dealt with within one working day, an automatic reply stating this, and when it will be dealt with, and how to obtain more immediate action by another route should be returned to the sender.

Confidentiality

We usually assume that a person telephoning us is who they say, but in case of doubt we look up their recorded telephone number, and call them back.
This seems a useful approach for e-mails. The pateint should provide their e-mail address, it should be stored within the clinical system, and replies should go to that address.