Saturday, June 28, 2008

How Would Patients Prefer to Interact with Doctor's Online?

I am interested in how the public feels about the best way to interact with medical providers online. Some companies prefer a structured response with a "fill in the blanks" form according to the initial symptom (e.g. back pain). Some simply facilitate communication with one's own physician, whereas others, such as eDoc, use a "free form" communication style and have a group of physicians, psychologists, and pharmacists to answer general questions about health, behavior and medications.

What do you think is the likely future of On Line Health Care and how would you prefer to use an on line service like ours? Would you prefer to limit your correspondence to your own physician, or are you comfortable relating to a team of professionals such as the ones that eDoc has assembled? Would you prefer a more structured format to provide input to the online doc, or do you prefer a "blank tablet" on which you can simply describe your symptoms? What other services besides the ones we provide would you like to see?

What do you think? I'd love to hear from you...

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE USED EDOC AND I PREFER THE FREE FORM BLANK PAGE. I FEEL THAT TO USE A STANDARD FILL IN THE BLANK JUST DOES NOT LET THE PERSON REALLY EXPRESS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THEIR BODIES ETC. AND FRANKLY I LIKE THE FACT THAT THE DOCTORS ANSWERS ALWAYS SEEMS MORE PERSONAL. THEY HAVE PUT THOUGHT INTO WHAT THEY HAVE READ AND RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. I WOULDN'T COME BACK IF YOUR ANSWERS WHERE MECHANICAL. KEEP IT LIKE IT IS.

Charles Smith, MD said...

Thanks for your comment! We appreciate the feedback and, I assure you, we plan to keep our responses personal.

Anonymous said...

I have used e-doc twice now and have to agree with that first comment...I like the open format and would be put off by a form letter response. It's nice to be assured I'm communicating with a real person. I sometimes wish my current doctor gave out her email address but at the same time, I like this service because it's a good way to filter what I take to my usual doc...so I can be sure to make the best use of both my time and hers. Thanks and keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I use e-doc a great deal and like the free style format. This is actually an under utilized service in my opinion. I recommend it at work and feel like it is one of the most important fringe benefits my employer has given.

I believe the site is still evolving, would like to see spell check added. Many times I think it has saved a trip to the doctor or just gives you peace of mind.........