<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In Denmark, medical consultations and the institutional practice of going to the doctor have been expanded upon over the past decade, with e-mail consultations (e-consultations) now supplementing conventional consultations. As a form of communication with different constraints than face-to-face and telephonic communication, e-consultations are likely to both afford some benefits and present struggles. In this article, I examine the use and perception of primary care e-consultations from the perspective of the patient. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 20 patients and guided by the following research question: How do patients struggle with and master digital participation during e-consultations? The study demonstrates that e-consultations are more than a digital access point to the healthcare system: patients often struggle to maintain contact with their general practitioner, and e-consultations can help them navigate the healthcare system. Indeed, those who master this form of communication are appreciative of it and perceive it as screen care.</p>
</abstract>

In Denmark, medical consultations and the institutional practice of going to the doctor have been expanded upon over the past decade, with e-mail consultations (e-consultations) now supplementing conventional consultations. As a form of communication with different constraints than face-to-face and telephonic communication, e-consultations are likely to both afford some benefits and present struggles. In this article, I examine the use and perception of primary care e-consultations from the perspective of the patient. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 20 patients and guided by the following research question: How do patients struggle with and master digital participation during e-consultations? The study demonstrates that e-consultations are more than a digital access point to the healthcare system: patients often struggle to maintain contact with their general practitioner, and e-consultations can help them navigate the healthcare system. Indeed, those who master this form of communication are appreciative of it and perceive it as screen care.

Struggling with and mastering e-mail consultations: A study of access, interaction, and participation in a digital health care system

Nordicom Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

In Denmark, medical consultations and the institutional practice of going to the doctor have been expanded upon over the past decade, with e-mail consultations...

Gender	Age	Location	Duration (min)
Male	70	At home	46
Female	66	At home	64
Female	69	Activity house	34
Male	74	At home	64
Male	77	Activity house	35
Male	80	At home	49
Male	74	At home	42
Male	67	At home	42
Female	70	At home	46
Female	71	At home	33
Female	72	At home	41
Female^a	77	At home	47
Male^a	71	At home	47
Female	72	At home	30
Female	70	Public library	54
Female	71	At home	30
Female	68	At home	48
Female	67	At home	44
Female	83	At home	49
Male	81	Public library	56

Struggling with and mastering e-mail consultations: A study of access, interaction, and participation in a digital health care system

Pubblicato online: 09 set 2021

Pagine: 7 - 21

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0038

Parole chiave
digital consultation, participation, primary care, patients, screen care

© 2021 Anette Grønning, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Interviews

Struggling with and mastering e-mail consultations: A study of access, interaction, and participation in a digital health care system

Pubblicato online: 09 set 2021

Pagine: 7 - 21

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0038

Parole chiavedigital consultation, participation, primary care, patients, screen care

© 2021 Anette Grønning, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Interviews

Parole chiave
digital consultation, participation, primary care, patients, screen care