Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was: to establish a baseline of current e-mail usage by orthopedic clinical specialists, to profile a “typical” physical therapist who uses e-mail in clinical practice, to explore e-mail use/non use in clinical practice including rationale, to state therapists’ self perceptions of computer skill level, and to report therapists’ opinions regarding the use of e-mail in clinical practice. Subjects: The subjects consisted of the entire population of physical therapists with the credentials of orthopedic clinical specialist as designed by the APTA. Methods: A survey questionnaire was administered using the United States Postal Service with a response rate of 68% The survey instrument was divided into four main categories. Section one gatherered information about the respondents’ demographics. Section two containe questions regarding computer accessibility, location of Internet access, Internet provider, and if e-mail was used in clinical practice. Section three gathered information related to specific e-mail usage. Section four solicited personal opinions related to perceived computer skill level and reasons for using/not using e-mail in clinical practice. Analysis: Data was compiled and analyzed using SPSS version 9.0.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the data. Cross-tabulations were used to compare data. Chi-Square analysis was used to calculate statistically significant differences between users and non-users of e-mail. Results: The majority of physical therapists have computer access and many are using e-mail in clinical practice. The most common use for e-mail is to communicate with other physical therapist, to request information from the APTA, to communicate with other health care professionals, and to communicate with employers or employees. The majority of physical therapists are using e-mail to eliminate phone tag or to save time. Conclusion: The majority of physical therapists are using e-mail as a communication medium. Profiles of therapists who use e-mail and who do not use e-mail in clinical practice were similar in demographics but differed in gender, practice environment, number of e-mail accounts, and perceived computer skill level. Most therapists are using e-mail to save time and money. Therapists who are not using e-mail report lack of time, limited computer access at work, and patient populations not comfortable with the technology. Clinical Implications: As society moves towards increasing computer literacy, the future of using technology to enhance the way healthcare is delivered is inevitable. The use of e-mail is growing rapidly in all areas of health care. This was the first survey to report on physical therapists use of e-mail in clinical practice. Physical therapists who use e-mail will be able to provide improved communication and monitoring of their patients. Patients will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide information about compliance with home exercise programs. Future research is recommended to further clarify the role of e-mail in physical therapy clinical practice.
