Email communications can benefit orthopaedic surgeons and their patients
9 March 2006
Orthopaedic surgeons and their patients should be aware of the advantages
and potential pitfalls of communicating with each other online, according to
a paper published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The review of current data on
physician–patient electronic communication found that due to the rise in
patients using the Internet for communication and information, orthopaedic
surgeons should consider incorporating this resource into their practices;
but they should do so in a thought-out and systematic way.
Use of the Internet has increased exponentially among U.S. adults, from
18 million users in 1996 to 140 million in April 2002. As of December 2003,
69 percent of American adults were regularly online. One of the most common
uses of the Internet is to obtain health or medical information, although
users searching for health information may not have the same needs or
interests as actual patients. "Health information" can also include
exercise, diet and home remedies in addition to medical knowledge.
The paper notes that as many as 55 percent of patients with
musculoskeletal conditions will have sought information related to their
diagnosis prior to the actual office visit. Accurate online medical
information may be a useful adjunct to traditional physician-patient
interaction because it is readily available, wide in scope and can provide
the patient with basic knowledge on a given topic. A subsequent clinical
encounter may possibly be more efficiently spent refining information and
answering the patient's specific questions. In addition, some patient
concerns may be easily satisfied through the use of e-mail.
"Patients are researching their conditions online, and this can be a
positive thing," explained lead author, J. Sybil Biermann, MD, Associate
Professor in the department of orthopaedic surgery and Director of
Musculoskeletal Oncology at the University of Michigan Health System, Ann
Arbor, Mich. "We want our patients to be educated and engaged in managing
their own health. Therefore, we need to partner with patients to use this
resource to maximum effect."
This concept is also behind the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons'
(AAOS) patient-centred care initiative, Getting Better Together. The
initiative calls for a partnership between the orthopaedic surgeon and
patient to ensure patients and their families are informed, respected and
involved in all decisions pertaining to musculoskeletal-related care and
treatment. Key components to patient-centred care include open, honest
communication between a patient and physician and ensuring physicians are
responsive to patients' unique preferences, needs and values.
While electronic communication can be an important part of patient-
centered care, orthopaedic surgeons should be aware of its potential legal
and confidentiality pitfalls. For example, any plan to incorporate
physician- patient electronic communication should include specific policies
regarding issues such as patient privacy and conveying sensitive
information. In addition, physicians who wish to refer patients to health
information Web sites should review the site's content and consider the
hosting organization before doing so.
"Orthopaedic surgeons and other physicians can take the lead in online
health research by providing their patients with useful sites and other
reliable resources," Dr. Biermann said. For example, the AAOS' public and
patient education website, Your Orthopaedic Connection (www.orthoinfo.org)
offers patients physician-reviewed information on orthopaedic conditions and
treatments, injury prevention, wellness and exercise.
"Patients can then bring specific, informed questions when they visit
their physicians," said Dr. Biermann. "However, patients also have a
responsibility to consider the source of Internet-based health information,
and to understand that not all of the information they find will apply to
them."
An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the
diagnosis and nonsurgical as well as surgical treatment of the
musculoskeletal system including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and
nerves.
Abstracts and full text of the monthly, peer-reviewed Journal of the
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) are available online at
www.jaaos.org/
An advocate for improved patient care, the Academy is participating in
the Bone and Joint Decade (
http://www.usbjd.org/ ) a global initiative in the years
2002-2011, to raise awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research
and improve people's quality of life. The Academy's Annual Meeting is being
held March 22-26, 2006 in Chicago, see
www.aaos.org/wordhtml/am2006.htm
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