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

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.