Characteristics of patients who seek care via eVisits instead of office visits.

Purpose: There is growing recognition that many physician-patient encounters do not require face-to-face contact. The availability of secure Internet portals creates the opportunity for online eVisits. Increasing numbers of health systems provide eVisits, and many health plans reimburse for eVisits.

Promoting safe prescribing in primary care with a contraceptive vital sign: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Routine assessment of women's pregnancy intentions and contraceptive use-a so-called contraceptive vital sign-may help primary care physicians identify patients who need preconception or contraceptive counseling and be of particular benefit when teratogenic medications are prescribed.

Methods: We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a contraceptive vital sign on primary care documentation of contraceptive use and change in primary care physicians' provision of family planning services. Academic internists in the intervention group (n = 26) were provided with information on their female patients' pregnancy intentions and contraceptive use immediately before visits; internists in the control group (n = 27) received only standard intake information.

Clinical decision support to promote safe prescribing to women of reproductive age: a cluster-randomized trial.

Background: Potentially teratogenic medications are frequently prescribed without provision of contraceptive counseling.

Objective: To evaluate whether computerized clinical decision support (CDS) can increase primary care providers' (PCPs') provision of family planning services when prescribing potentially teratogenic medications.

Design: Cluster-randomized trial conducted in one academic and one community-based practice between October of 2008 and April of 2010.

Internet-based medical visit and diagnosis for common medical problems: experience of first user cohort.

Objective: Internet-based medical visits, or "structured e-Visits," allow patients to report symptoms and seek diagnosis and treatment from their doctor over a secure Web site, without calling or visiting the physician's office. While acceptability of e-Visits has been investigated, outcomes associated with e-Visits, that is, whether patients receiving diagnoses receive appropriate care or need to return to the doctor, remain unexplored.

Materials And Methods: The first 156 e-Visit users from a large family medicine practice were surveyed regarding their experience with the e-Visit and e-Visit outcomes.