Email not worth the effort

The idea that patients can email their doctor fills most GPs with dread, a 6minutes poll shows.

When asked whether email communication between patient and GP was a good alternative to a follow-up phone, call 80% of respondents answered “no”.

Less than a fifth of respondents thought email communication in general practice was a good idea. Just 3% were undecided.

The 6minutes poll confirms the general consensus among Australian health professionals that email makes more work for already hard pressed doctors