Jornal de Comunicação de Massa e Jornalismo

Provision of Physicians’ Cell Phone Numbers or E-mail Addresses to Patients: The Perspective of Muslim Bedouin Patients in the Negev Region of Israel: A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Abu-Kern S, Agbaria J and Peleg R

Objective: To assess the attitude and practice of patients in the Bedouin community to the use of cell phones and email for medical consultation. Methods: The study used a structured questionnaire that was completed by a telephone interview of a random selection. The questionnaire consisted of items on attitudes to and use of cell phones and email. Results: The study included 200 patients. One hundred thirty six (68%) were very interested in getting the personal cell phone number of their physician and 40 others (20%) would not object to getting it. Only 44 (22%) used email and only nine of them (20.5%) were very interested in getting the personal email address of their physician. Conclusion: As new technologies, such as cell phones and email, come into wider use it is important to understand how they can be used and integrated optimally into the healthcare system.