Email use in General Practice

Contact us and share your opinionDoes sorting out your email just suck all your time away? Andy and Gandhi talk in this episode about the frustrations managing your email can bring, the challenges we have in primary care and importantly - solutions to bring you control and increase your spare time.  🔴 Subscribe: https://bit.ly/eGPlearningYTsubscribe 🔴 Shout out to our friends … Health Technology News Paper, your daily dose of information for the health technology community Despite being so ubiquitous and groundbreaking in its time, this is a medium that is almost universally loathed… Today we’re talking about email... We have a complex love-hate relationship with email… Mostly we hate it... As a clinician email can be particularly frustrating. We have so many ways to receive information tasks and work. And we spend most of our dealing with patients or tasks directly related to patient care. It can feel like Other people working in primary care have more time allocated for purely administrative activities like reading email…  It is definitely worth giving how you manage email some thought... Why is email frustrating?... (Identifying the challenges) Email overload Time issue, can take so long, when do i do it?Email anxiety - what’s in my inbox?...Discussion vs response - wrong tool?Etiquette - why am i getting this email? Tone and controversial topics...Emails at intrusive at times What are the possible solutions? Basic Principals… Three PsParkinson’s Law - allocate set, limited time - batchingPareto Principal - 80/20 - concentrate on where your efforts will have impactPomedoro - 25 minute dashes, 5 minutes break to complete email or tasks Getting OrganisedInbox Zero & Getting to Done…. 2 min ruleScheduling for laterTag, Folders or archive and search? Check out Gandhi’s episode on productivity: https://youtu.be/paTZy7K8hsU EtiquetteShould this be an email at all? email / phone / meetreply all, waiting on replies, cc, bccFont and confidentialityEmojis in professional emailsUse the right address for the right reason - security log inAdd the email address last - just in caseIdentify action or informationUse the subject line well… and first 2 lines - Project management style - timelinesTemplates and signatures,  Dealing with volume/overloadUnsubscribe and whitelist vs junkDo not disturb Choose your tools wisely? But don’t obsess We discuss our current email setups and tips for email platforms and appsInterface/platform - bluemail What do you use?Gandhi - blue mail and GmailAndy - outlookBut my phone is always with me… Do not disturb modeSwitch off the notification? How to email patients: Email use by practices in General Practice Email auditSet aside a time frame to do an email audit - sources, folders, and freq - put it in your calendar!!! Things to think about as clinicians…Use the right platform or email address for any clinical or sensitive information.Secure your device. Alternatives?People are trying to make email betterSlack, Asana…. Adding project management and team coordination So how do you feel about email now love or hate?  Let us know...