Wednesday, February 10, 1999
E-Nurse offers students opportunities for quick medical
advice
HEALTH: Internet service helps Arthur Ashe Center better service
community
By Kiyoshi Tomono
Daily Bruin Contributor
Though E-Nurse may be employed by the Arthur Ashe Student Health
Center to answer campus health questions and concerns, finding
E-Nurse’s office is a problem.
For starters, there isn’t one. E-Nurse is a 6-month-old program
sponsored by the health center which allows students to ask
questions and receive answers via e-mail.
Residing on the center’s Web site, E-Nurse fields at least nine
queries daily from UCLA students. Shelley Pearson, director of
ancillary services for the Ashe Center, said questions are reviewed
by a team of nurses who respond or send the question to a more
experienced health practitioner.
Questions submitted to E-Nurse since its introduction in
November have ranged from serious conditions such as abdominal and
chest pain to more common issues, such as nutrition and colds.
While student submissions are grouped under general categories
for statistical purposes, Pearson said all questions are
reviewed.
E-Nurse messages are checked and answered an average of three
times daily, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Unlike traditional clinic hours, messages can be sent through
E-Nurse around the clock without making an appointment.
The program is accessible to UCLA students with a Student ID
Number, e-mail address and URSA pin number.
According to Pearson, the fact that E-Nurse can be accessed at
any time is one of the program’s main strengths.
"Students have classes and they don’t have time to wait,"
Pearson said.
E-Nurse also is useful in helping to reduce the center’s
caseload.
Pearson’s best estimate is that "the Ashe Center will probably
see half of the student population this year, suffering from
illnesses from A-Z."
Because of the demands of those 17,500 patients, the Ashe Center
has received complaints about the amount of time it takes to make
an appointment.
Ann Brooks, a nurse practitioner who responds to the e-mail
messages, said E-Nurse can help to reduce these waits.
"E-Nurse is good in two senses. It answers straightforward
questions and recommends evaluation for students who really need
evaluating," Brooks said.
Despite that advantage, Brooks indicated there are limitations
to using the Internet as a means of giving health
recommendations.
Patient confidentiality, already a great concern for medical
practitioners, cannot be guaranteed when submitting information
over the Internet.
"We realize that with the Internet format, we cannot do as much
as we would like in terms of confidentiality," Brooks said.
Due to these security issues, students are asked to sign an
electronic waiver informing them their medical information could be
revealed to third parties.
"We want to be up-front with the student and let them know that
we don’t have total control over confidentiality," she said.
Student response to E-Nurse is as varied as the problems
submitted to the program.
Michelle Mizrachi, a first-year undeclared student, believes the
E-Nurse concept is a good one.
"If I knew it was there, I probably would have utilized it
today," Mizrachi said on her way into the Ashe Center on
Tuesday.
But others, such as third-year medical student Charles Chiu,
would use the program with caution.
"I would use it for general medical questions, but not for
anything personal," Chiu said. "I am still a bit worried about the
security of the Internet."
Still other students, such as fourth-year sociology student
Christina Haug, doubt they would ever use E-Nurse.
"I feel like I really need to see a medical practitioner
sometimes," Haug said. "I guess I would more like to see a person
face to face."
E-nurse can reached at www.saonet.ucla.edu/health.htm.
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