Comparison of E–Mail Communication Skills Among First– and Fourth–Year Dental Students

Abstract

As e-mail and other forms of electronic communication increase in popularity, it is important for dental schools to consider a curriculum that prepares their graduates to understand and apply effective electronic communication strategies to their patients. Relecting this shift in communication behavior, the American Medical Association has developed speciic e-mail communication guidelines. Some behavioral examples in these guidelines include protecting patients' protected health information (PHI), ensuring proper record keeping, and using professional, courteous, and understandable language. In this study, a sample of irst-and fourth-year dental students (n=160) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine participated in an assignment assessing their patient-provider e-mail communication skills. A rubric was used to evaluate and compare the data between dental student classes. The results reveal a generalized lack of compliance with several of these guidelines by both classes (e.g., failure to protect PHI), despite efforts to expose students to these concepts in the curriculum. In an effort to train emerging dentists to function in a rapidly changing technological environment, these indings suggest a need for growth and development of curricula and perhaps guidelines/recommendations for behavioral competencies regarding dental students' use of electronic communication in the patient care environment.

Etiquette for medical students’ email communication with faculty members: a single-institution study

“…The total email etiquette scores were 62.21 out of 100 and the global impression of politeness scores were 2.6 out of 4. Researchers have already shown that being a so-called “digital native” is an insufficient condition for professional email writing [ 3 ]. The results of this study are comparable with previous literature, such as one that evaluated introductory biology class students and demonstrated their email format scores to be less than eight points out of 13 [ 9 ].…”

“…Emails have become commonplace in doctors’ routine work, including communicating with their patients, obtaining consultations from other specialists, and collaborating with other researchers on scholarly projects [ 1 ]. Similarly, emails are commonly used in medical education as the usual method of communication between faculty members and students and sometimes they are even developed as a teaching tool to cultivate communication skills or professionalism [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Email Use Reconsidered in Health Professions Education: Viewpoint

“…Email communication provides a valuable tool for provider-patient interactions when used appropriately and in a secure manner. In fact, many patients prefer communicating with their health care provider via email [ 20 ] because it expands opportunities for consultation, treatment, and patient care [ 38 ]. Email has been described as environmentally and economically friendly, as well as efficient because it quickly connects the individuals providing and receiving care [ 46 ].…”

“…Cyberincivility is defined as communicative behavior against social norms that is exhibited in computer-mediated interactions, such as those involving email and text messages, or on online social networking sites [ 17 ]. Because health professional students who demonstrate cyberincivility in school appear to continue the same behavior after they complete their education [ 18 - 20 ], prelicensure education on email netiquette is especially important. In spite of the need, training in email netiquette is not occurring consistently and is not having consistent results in interprofessional discipline training programs.…”

“…De Gagne et al [ 16 ] noted that only half of nursing students reported receiving information on netiquette, with only 6% being aware of the Nursing Council of State Boards of Nursing guidelines on social media. In addition, Oakley et al [ 20 ] found that computer-mediated communication guidelines and some training for dental students did not result in adequate outcomes. A study by Barnhart et al [ 21 ] reported that the inclusion of training involving the professional use of email in the curriculum for family medicine residents led to some improvements in communication practices, but unwanted behaviors continued.…”