Patients saw improvements ranging from 2.0 to 6.5 percentage points in cholesterol and glyc
emic screenings and blood pressure. Study authors say it’s a result of patients becoming more empowered through communication.
The study, in the July issue of Health Affairs, found that patients initiated more than 85% of the 556,000 message threads, which contained a total of 630,807 actual messages. Physicians received between 2 to 12 messages per day and spent an average of 3.5 minutes responding to each message
The finding relates to the observation that the act of writing actually triggers deeper consideration and self reflection than other interfaces (see book for reference) which leads to better participation and compliance. Same for the doctor. A 3.5 minute written answer might be better targeted and focused than the same talking effort.
