How would you feel if important medical info was sent to you by text or email? 
This is what a Suffolk hospital is considering to save on postage costs following Royal Mail’s new pricing system.
Although concerns about confidentiality have been raised, there is also the chance that vital info could accidentally be deleted by the recipient, causing distress and considerable inconvenience.
I expect it will be up to individuals to make up their own mind on this if the hospital goes ahead. I can see its attraction if it means getting news quicker. But is it old fashioned to still want a letter? Do medical letters get lost in the post?
While I can agree with using texts and emails for making hospital appointments, and I sympathise with hospitals having to make massive cash savings, ensuring the safe delivery of medical info to patients must remain a first class priority – even if second class stamps are used!
I partially share your concerns about privacy of emails although text messages are no less secure than traditional post. Both can very easily be made more secure/private than traditional post. I don’t think the ‘accidentally be deleted’ is much of a problem – it is far easier to misplace or accidentally bin/recycle paper than it is to lose an email (which can usually be retrieved). In fact thinking about how we now recycle all our paper I’d feel safer receiving it by email/text as there is far less risk of in ending up in the wrong hands. It would obviously have to be opt in for the dwindling number of people who don’t have email/mobiles.
On another note what annoys me more is Royal Mail’s new pricing system and how badly it has been communicated. In 1996-97 I produced communications strategies for several Royal Mail divisions and one of the aspects covered was that it was both a business and a public service so had a responsibility to explain/justify its actions. It has done an OK job of letting people know about the change, but an appalling job of communicating what the benefits are to its customers.
Stuart, I guess what Royal Mail needs to buck itself up is competition. Maybe the media presented the story in the most sensational way and that is why Royal Mail’s message to its ordinary customers using 1st/2nd class stamps never came across.
Indeed, are existing systems any more secure or reliable.
Email has some downsides like the post: false positives with spam filters, the fact that it is not a secure transmission system, and there is also no guarantee that the reader has actually seen the message.
A more guaranteed system is:-
1) Account-based login system where the content is recorded and encrypted for viewing.
2) Email or SMS notification of a “message awaiting”.
3) A chase-up system for unread messages, or messages that have not been acted upon, which could be done manually.
Just don’t expect the government to pay much less than £100 million for a project with such wizardry!
As someone who has received an enormous amount of medical treatment in the past 4 months, personally I wouldn’t be too worried about receiving information about appointments, routine tests etc. via text. As I’m sure we would all agree, the exception would be sensitive results. But there is a lot of routine info that could be texted. I presume that this is what they intend?
Tom
Tom, as a recovering injured cyclist, do you get your info sent just by post? I wouldn’t have a problem with routine info sent by email, but not more important stuff.
well, i have to admit that i don’t really have any “tests” as such. all appointments are booked when i’m there. all xray info is communicated by the consultant when i’m there too. maybe it’s different if you are receiving a different form of treatment. i guess that my treatment is fairly routine.