Objective. To assess the use of cell phones and email as means of communication between pregnant women and their gynecologists\nand family physicians. Study Design. A cross-sectional study of pregnant women at routine followup. One hundred and twenty\nwomen participated in the study. Results. The mean age was 27.4 �± 3.4 years. One hundred nineteen women owned a cell phone and\n114 (95%) had an email address. Seventy-two women (60%) had their gynecologistâ��s cell phone number and 50 women (42%) had\ntheir family physicianâ��s cell phone number. More women contacted their gynecologist via cell phone or email during pregnancy\ncompared to their family physician (???? = 0.005 and 0.009, resp.). Most preferred to communicate with their physician via cell\nphone at predetermined times, but by email at any time during the day (???? < 0.0001). They would use cell phones for emergencies\nor unusual problems but preferred email for other matters (???? < 0.0001). Conclusions. Pregnant women in the Negev region do\nnot have a preference between the use of cell phones or email for medical consultation with their gynecologist or family physician.\nThe provision of the physicianâ��s cell phone numbers or email address together with the provision of guidelines and resources could\nimprove healthcare services.
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