use of internet and e-mail by physicians

Use of Internet and E-mail by Physicians in selected Countries of the Region.

Survey conducted in Pakistan by:

Mr. Khawaja Mustafa &

Ms. Azra Qureshi

FHS Library, Aga Khan University, Karachi,

Pakistan.

Facts About Pakistan Official Name: Islamic Republic of Pakistan National Language: Urdu Total Area: 796,096 sq. km. Monetary Unit: Rupee Population: 140 million (estimated) National Game: Hockey Provinces: Baluchistan, NWFP, Punjab and Sind Literacy Rate: 54%

1. What is Your Age:

25-30 years = 35.51% 31-40 years = 30.84%41-50 years = 25.23%51-60 years = 5.60%Over 60 years = 1.86%

Background “Personal Information”.

2.What is Your Country of Residence? Which City?

Pakistan: 103 respondents Cities Karachi 73 Physicians Rawalpindi & Islamabad 8 Lahore 1 Kohat 1 Peshawar 17 Hyderabad 2 Shikarpur 1

Kabul (Afghanistan) 1 ( 3 respondents did not answer this question).


3. Sex:

76 male

&

31 female physicians responded.


Radiology 10 Pediatrics 5 Gastroenterology 6 Neurosurgery 1

Plastic Surgery 1 Surgery & Primary

Care 1 Otolaryngology 1 ENT 3 Community

Medicine 1 Internal Medicine 5 Nephrology 1 Obstetrics & Gynecology 6

Orthopedics 1

Ophthalmology 1 Nuclear Medicine 1 Medicine 3 Medical Microbiology 1 Post-Graduate Student

1 Forensic Pathology 1 Neurology 3 Cardiology 1 Pulmonology 3 Anatomy 1 Bichemistry 1 Epidemiology 1 Physiology 2.

4. Please indicate your medical specialization:


5. From Which country did you have your first University degree? 105 respondents earned their first degree from Pakistan one respondent from Afghanistan, 1 respondent did not reply this question

6. Did you have any postgraduate education outside your country? 24 respondents earned their postgraduate education from outside Pakistan.

7. If “YES” which country? 15 respondents earned their postgraduate degree from United Kingdom, 8 form U.S.A., 1 each from Sweden, Australia & China.

8. Please indicate your functional role (check all apply). 67 Physicians = 62.61% respondents were practitioners

13 Physicians = 12.14% Manager 48 Physicians = 44.85% Educator 19 physicians = 17.75% Other category.


9. What type of medical Practice do you do? (check all apply)

Private Clinic 16= 14.95%Public Hospital 14= 13.08%Private Hospital 20= 18.69%

Military Hospital 01= 0.93% Teaching Hospital 70= 65.42%

Medical College 27= 25.23% Primary Healthcare Centre 2= 1.86%

10. Are you a Solo Practitioner (private clinic)?16 physicians, 14.95% respondents; Solo practitioners.

11. If NO, please indicate the approximate number of physicians you work with.Respondents

Less than 5: 12 Physicians = 11.21% 6 to 10: 23 Physicians = 21.49% 11 to 15: 15 Physicians = 14.01% 16 to 20: 05 Physicians = 4.67% over 20: 21 Physicians = 19.62%


12. From where do you access Internet (check all that apply)

Nos. of respondents

From Home 81= 75.70%From your office 37= 34.57%From a clinical work area 25= 23.36%From medical college 21= 19.62%From Internet Café 09= 8.41%Other, Library 02= 1.86%

Section two: Use of Internet/E-mail:

13. How often do you log on to the Internet or e-mail?

Nos. of respondentsDaily 45= 42.05%Twice a week 17= 15.88%3 or 4 times per week 18= 16.82%5 or 6 times per week 14= 13.08%Rarely 08= 7.47%Never 01= 0.93%


14. If you access the Internet, how may hours per week do you spend on e-mail and the Internet combined?

Nos. of respondents

2 hours or less 39= 36.44%3 to 5 hours 30= 28.03%6 to 8 hours 17= 15.88%9 to 11 hours 05= 4.67%12+hours per week 08= 7.47%


15. Does your support staff have access to the Internet at work? 70% respondents(75 Physicians) agreed that their support staff has access to the Internet at work.

16. Does any of your family members have access to the Internet at home or work? 85% of the respondents agreed that their family members have access to Internet at home or work.

17. Are there written policies governing the use of the Internet at home or work? Nos. of respondents

Yes 32= 29.90%No 41= 38.31%I don’t know 30= 28.03%


18. Is there a hospital Information System at your place of work? 72.89% respondents(78 physicians) agreed that there is a Hospital Information System at their place of work.

19. If YES, do you have access to it? 65.42% respondents(70 physicians) had access to their Hospital Information System

20. If YES, do you? Read data only(Clinical or administrative) from the System? 51 respondents replied “Yes”, 14 respondents “No”. Read and write data? 23 respondents replied “Yes”, 32 replied “No”.


21. Does the Institution you work for have a web site?Nos. of respondents.

Yes 86= 80.37%No 15= 14.01%I don’t know 06= 05.60%

22. Do you have a personal e-mail account87.7% (93) respondents had a personal e-mail account.

23. Do you have a personal Web site?12.14 % respondents had their personal web site.


Use of Internet or e-mail

VeryOften

Often Some-Times

Rarely Never Don’t Know

1. To send and receive e-mail messages directly to patients regarding medical issues.

10

9.52%n=105

14

13.33%

16

15.23%

13

12.38%

52

49.52%

-

2. To respond to a general question from a patient.

32.94%n=102

109.80%

1615.68%

1817.64%

5553.92%

-

3. To respond to an inquiry from an individual who is not currently your patient

87.84%n= 102

98.82%

1615.58%

2322.54%

4645.09%

10.98%

4. To send and receive e-mail messages from professional colleagues on medically related issues.

1615.53%n= 103

3634.95

%

2524.27%

1413.59%

1211.65%

-

Section three:24. Frequency of use of Internet/Email:

5. To conduct research for information relevant to a specific patient’s case

2019.80%n=101

3231.68%

1918.81%

1615.84%

1211.88%

21.98%

6. To search for information for continuous medical

education.

3636%n=100

3838%

1515%

77%

44%

-

7. To search for information of special interest or in own specialty.

4240%n= 105

4441.90%

1110.47%

87.61%

- -

8. To access laboratory, x-ray, CT scan, etc results on current patients

1312.87%n= 101

1110.89%

1514.85%

2625.74%

3332.67%

32.97%

9. To send e-mail to patients regarding prevention, health education or disease management care

32.88%n=104

1211.53%

1514.42%

1817.30%

5653.84%

-

Use of Internet

or e-mail

Very

Often

Often Some-times

Rarely Never Don’t

Know


Use of Internet

or e-mail

Very

Often

Often Some-times


Know

10. To send e-mail messages to office staff.

1312.74%n= 102

2019.60%

2019.60%

1514.70%

3433.33%

-

11. To send e-mail messages to colleagues

3433%n =103

3332.03%

2221.35%

65.82%

87.76%

-

12. To send e-mail messages to friends and/or relatives.

4745.63%

2928.15%

2019.41%

32.91%

54.85%

-

13. To receive e-mail form pharmaceutical companies

55%n= 100

66%

2121%

1414%

5454%

-

14. To receive e-mail messages from vendors or other suppliers

43.88%n= 103

1110.67%

1312.62%

1615.53%

5755.33%

21.94%


Use of Internet

or e-mail

Very

Often

Often Some-times


Know

15. To receive e-mail messages from societies to which I subscribe

1111%n= 100

2828%

2121%

1717%

2323%

-

16. To receive e-mail messages form other non-health related listservs(financial,

hobbies, travel. etc.

77%n= 100

1515%

2828%

2323%

2727%

-

17. To purchase medical supplies related to my practice

22%n= 107

66%

1313%

1616%

5959%

44%

18. To purchase non-medically related items (books, music, etc.)

32.97%N= 101

65.94%

1413.86

%

1918.81%

5453.46%

54.95%


Rarely or never use the Internet or e-mail services

StronglyAgree

Agree Disagree Stronglydisagree

Don’tknow

1. Information is not secured on the e-mail.

10 15.87%n=63

2133.33%

1523%

57.93%

1219.04

%

2. Confidentiality of personal/patientdata is at risk.

1118.33%n=60

2541.66%

1220%

35%

915%

3. Health and biomedical Information on the Internet is of low quality.

11.66%n= 60

1220%

3253.33%

1220%

35%

4. There are few “good” health related Web site on the Internet.

1220%n= 60

2135%

2033.33%

610%

11.66%

5. Health and biomedical information on the Internet is not authenticated.

34.91%n=61

1016.39%

3252.45%

1219.67%

46.55%

Section four: 25. “Reasons for rarely or never using the Internet/E-mail:”.


StronglyAgree


Don’tknow

6. I have no access to Internet or e-mail services.

35%n= 60

915%

2338.33%

2236.66%

35%

7. I’ve never had a training on Internet or email use.

35.35%n= 56

1526.78%

2544.64%

1119.64%

23.57%

8. I don’t need information from Internet.

23.38%n= 59

23.38%

2745.76%

2745.76%

11.69%

9. Most of my patients have no access to the Internet or e-mail.

1221.42%n= 56

1933.92%

1017.85%

58.92%

1017.85

%

10. Using Internet for medical information is not a tradition or a practice in this country.

1118.33%n= 60

2541.66%

1931.66%

35%

23.33%

“Reasons for rarely or never using the Internet/E-mail”:


StronglyAgree


Don’tknow

11. Using Internet for medical information is not a tradition or a practice in the institution where I work.

47.14%n= 56

1425%

3053.57%

58.92%

35.35%

12. I use e-mail only with colleagues abroad

35.35%n= 58

1119.64%

3257.14%

1017.85%

23.57%

13. My institution has no Internet infrastructure to allow its use by staff.

813.79%n=58

1220.68%

2644.82%

1017.24%

23.44%

14. I have no time to search the Internet or use email.

58.77%n = 57

1526.31%

2849.12%

1119.29%

11.75%

25. “Reasons for rarely or never using the Internet/E-mail:”.


StronglyAgree


Don’tknow

15. I ask my staff (assistants) to search the Internet on my behalf.

11.69%n= 59

1220.33%

3152.54%

1322.03%

23.38%

16. I ask my staff (assistants) to send e-mail messages on my behalf.

58.62%n= 58

712.06%

3153.44%

1322.41%

23.44%

17. My work environment does not encourage use of Internet/e-mail.

1016.39%n= 61

1118.03%

2642.62%

1219.67%

23.27%

18. The Internet is useful in providing patient education.

2540.98%n= 61

2744.26%

23.27%

34.91%

46.55%

25. “Reasons for rarely or never using the Internet/E-mail:”.

26.Please add any additional comments you wish to make about e-mail communications between patients and physicians.

Few Comments “Very good way of transmission of information and education material”.

“It is good to have e-mail”.

“Good source of communication”.

“More open discussion possible specially in our situation where the patients at times are reluctant to report the facts”.

“E-mail is best way of communication between physician and patient because they can be in contact even if they not living in same country or same city”.

Section five: Additional comments/information:

“Most of our patient are not educated & don't know to use internet”.

“We have no internet facility in our Institution”

“Basic education to use computer for every student school, college level value of information regarding health should be promoted so that general information available at any level”.

“Email can become a effective tool if SPAM is deducted”

Few Comments regarding handicaps

Section five: Additional comments/information:

Please add any additional comments you wish to make about e-mail communications between patients and physicians.

27. Please add any additional comments you wish to make about e-mail communications between physicians.

“Excellent tool to exchange views, should be used frequently”

“Easily accessible a cheap source of contact.”

“It should be very frequent exercise to know the follow-up of patients.”

“It is helpful in patient management and also in research work.”

“This is one of the way of transferring knowledge between physician”.

“Excellent, should be more, so that people/ physician can benefit from each other’s experience”.

Few Comments

27. Please add any additional comments you wish to make about e-mail communications between physicians.

Few Comments regarding handicaps

“Most of the Physicians are so busy in doing private practice that they have no time for e-mail communication.”

“It needs to be encouraged among physicians, there should be a web site every one knows , and can show their patients. which they think have some unique features.”

“It should be more secure.”

28. Please add any additional comments you wish to make about the use of the Internet by physicians.

Few Comments

“Internet can provide very useful & updated information & should be used by most physicians.”

“Latest information on medicine received.”

“I Will suggest that physicians must frequently use Internet to update themselves regarding different discussions.”

“Use should be a routine

“Should be encouraged to promote CME .”

use of internet and e-mail by physicians

Health & Medicine

female physicians

respondents75 physicians

respondents70 physicians

respondents78 physicians

respondents solo practitioners

respondents cities karachi

use of internete

internet check