Use of Internet and Email by Physicians

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Pakistan
Use of Internet and E-mail by Physicians in
selected Countries of the Region.
Survey conducted in Pakistan by Mr.
Khawaja Mustafa Ms. Azra Qureshi FHS
Library, Aga Khan University, Karachi,
Pakistan.
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Facts About Pakistan  
Official Name           Islamic Republic of
Pakistan National Language    Urdu Total
Area               796,096 sq. km. Monetary
Unit          Rupee Population                
140 million (estimated) National
Game          Hockey Provinces                 
Baluchistan, NWFP, Punjab                      
       and Sind Literacy Rate             54
   
Pakistan
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1. What is Your
Age 25-30 years 35.51 31-40 years
30.84 41-50 years 25.23 51-60 years
5.60 Over 60 years 1.86
Background Personal Information.
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Background Personal Information.
2.What is Your Country of Residence? Which
City? Pakistan 103 respondents Cities
Karachi 73 Physicians Rawalpindi
Islamabad 8 Lahore 1
Kohat 1 Peshawar 17
Hyderabad 2 Shikarpur 1
Kabul (Afghanistan) 1 ( 3
respondents did not answer this question).
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Background Personal Information.

• 3. Sex
• 76 male
• 31 female
• physicians responded.

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Background Personal Information.

Radiology 10 Pediatrics 5
Gastroenterology 6 Neurosurgery 1 Plastic
Surgery 1 Surgery Primary Care 1
Otolaryngology 1 ENT 3 Community
Medicine 1 Internal Medicine 5 Nephrology
1 Obstetrics Gynecology 6 Orthopedics 1

4. Please indicate your medical specialization
Ophthalmology 1 Nuclear Medicine 1 Medicine
3 Medical Microbiology 1 Post-Graduate
Student 1 Forensic Pathology 1 Neurology 3
Cardiology 1 Pulmonology 3
Anatomy 1 Bichemistry 1 Epidemiology 1
Physiology 2.
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Background Personal Information.
5. From Which country did you have your first
University degree? 105 respondents earned
their first degree from Pakistan one
respondent from Afghanistan, 1 respondent
did not reply this question
6. Did you have any postgraduate
education outside your country? 24
respondents earned their postgraduate education
from outside Pakistan.
7. If YES which country?
15 respondents earned their postgraduate
degree from United Kingdom, 8 form
U.S.A., 1 each from Sweden, Australia China.
8. Please indicate your
functional role (check all apply). 67
Physicians 62.61 respondents were
practitioners 13 Physicians 12.14
Manager 48 Physicians 44.85
Educator 19 physicians 17.75 Other
category.
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Background Personal Information.
9. What type of medical Practice do you do?
(check all apply) Private Clinic 16
14.95 Public Hospital 14 13.08 Private
Hospital 20 18.69 Military Hospital
01 0.93 Teaching Hospital
70 65.42 Medical College 27 25.23
Primary Healthcare Centre 2 1.86
10. Are you a Solo Practitioner (private
clinic)? 16 physicians, 14.95 respondents Solo
practitioners.
11. If NO, please indicate the
approximate number of physicians you work
with. Respondents Less than 5 12
Physicians 11.21 6 to 10 23
Physicians 21.49 11 to 15 15
Physicians 14.01 16 to 20 05
Physicians 4.67 over 20 21
Physicians 19.62
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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail
12. From where do you access Internet (check all
that apply) Nos. of respondents From
Home 81 75.70 From your office 37
34.57 From a clinical work area 25 23.36 From
medical college 21 19.62 From Internet
Café 09 8.41 Other, Library 02 1.86
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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail
13. How often do you log on to the Internet or
e-mail? Nos. of respondents Daily 45
42.05 Twice a week 17 15.88 3 or 4 times per
week 18 16.82 5 or 6 times per week 14
13.08 Rarely 08 7.47 Never 01 0.93
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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail

• If you access the Internet, how may hours per
  week
• do you spend on e-mail and the Internet
  combined?
• Nos. of respondents
• 2 hours or less 39 36.44
• 3 to 5 hours 30 28.03
• 6 to 8 hours 17 15.88
• 9 to 11 hours 05 4.67
• 12hours per week 08 7.47

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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail
15. Does your support staff have access to the
Internet at work? 70 respondents(75
Physicians) agreed that their support staff has
access to the Internet at work. 16.
Does any of your family members have access to
the Internet at home or work? 85 of the
respondents agreed that their family members
have access to Internet at home or work. 17.
Are there written policies governing the use of
the Internet at home or work? Nos. of
respondents Yes 32 29.90 No 41 38.31 I
dont know 30 28.03
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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail
18. Is there a hospital Information System at
your place of work? 72.89
respondents(78 physicians) agreed that there is a
Hospital Information System at their
place of work. 19. If YES, do you have access
to it? 65.42 respondents(70 physicians)
had access to their Hospital Information
System 20. If YES, do you? Read data
only(Clinical or administrative) from the
System? 51 respondents replied Yes, 14
respondents No. Read and write data?
23 respondents replied Yes, 32 replied
No.
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Section two Use of Internet/E-mail
21. Does the Institution you work for have a web
site? Nos. of respondents. Yes 86
80.37 No 15 14.01 I dont know 06
05.60 22. Do you have a personal e-mail
account 87.7 (93) respondents had a personal
e-mail account. 23. Do you have a personal Web
site? 12.14 respondents had their personal web
site.
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Section three 24. Frequency of use of
Internet/Email
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Section three 24. Frequency of use of
Internet/Email
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Section three 24. Frequency of use of
Internet/Email
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Section three 24. Frequency of use of
Internet/Email
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Section four 25. Reasons for rarely or never
using the Internet/E-mail.
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Reasons for rarely or never using the
Internet/E-mail
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25. Reasons for rarely or never using the
Internet/E-mail.
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25. Reasons for rarely or never using the
Internet/E-mail.
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Section five Additional comments/information

• Please add any additional comments you wish to
  make about
• e-mail communications between patients and
  physicians.
• Few Comments
• Very good way of transmission of
  information and education material.

It is good to have e-mail.
Good source of communication.
More open discussion possible specially in our
situation where the patients at times are
reluctant to report the facts.
E-mail is best way of communication between
physician and patient because they can be in
contact even if they not living in same country
or same city.

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Section five Additional comments/information
Please add any additional comments you wish to
make about e-mail communications between patients
and physicians.

Few Comments regarding handicaps

• Most of our patient are not educated don't
  know to use internet.
• We have no internet facility in our
  Institution
• Basic education to use computer for every
  student school, college level value
• of information regarding health should be
  promoted so that general information
• available at any level.
• Email can become a effective tool if SPAM is
  deducted

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27. Please add any additional comments you wish
to make about e-mail communications between
physicians.
Few Comments
Excellent tool to exchange views, should be used
frequently
Easily accessible a cheap source of contact.
It should be very frequent exercise to know the
follow-up of patients.
It is helpful in patient management and also in
research work.
This is one of the way of transferring
knowledge between physician.
Excellent, should be more, so that people/
physician can benefit from each others
experience.
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27. Please add any additional comments you wish
to make about e-mail communications between
physicians.
Few Comments regarding handicaps
Most of the Physicians are so busy in doing
private practice that they have no time for
e-mail communication.
It should be more secure.
It needs to be encouraged among physicians,
there should be a web site every one knows , and
can show their patients. which they think have
some unique features.
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28. Please add any additional comments you wish
to make about the use of the Internet by
physicians.
Few Comments
Internet can provide very useful updated
information should be used by most
physicians.
Latest information on medicine received.
Should be encouraged to promote CME .
Use should be a routine
I Will suggest that physicians must frequently
use Internet to update themselves regarding
different discussions.
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Pakistan
Thank You