A randomized study of electronic mail versus telephone follow-up after emergency department visit.
Publication/Presentation Date
2-1-2003
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine whether electronic mail (e-mail) increases contact rates after patients are discharged from the emergency department (ED). Following discharge, patients were randomized to be contacted by telephone or e-mail. The main outcome was success of contact. Secondary outcome was the median time of response. There were 1561 patients initially screened. Of these, 444 had e-mail and were included in the study. Half were contacted by telephone and the rest via e-mail. Our telephone contact rate was 58% (129/222) after two calls in a 48-h period and our e-mail contact was 41% (90/222). The telephone was nearly two times better than e-mail. The median time of response was 48 h for e-mail and 18 h for telephone. It is concluded that the telephone is a better modality of contact than e-mail for patients discharged from the ED.
Volume
24
Issue
2
First Page
125
Last Page
130
ISSN
0736-4679
Published In/Presented At
Ezenkwele, U. A., Sites, F. D., Shofer, F. S., Pritchett, E. N., & Hollander, J. E. (2003). A randomized study of electronic mail versus telephone follow-up after emergency department visit. The Journal of emergency medicine, 24(2), 125–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0736-4679(02)00739-4
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
12609640
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article