We live in the Information Age. This is also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age.

The United States Post Office is hurting. Nobody sends letters anymore.

We wake up gejuw4v. We check our email.

We stop at a red light while driving. We check our email.

We get to work. We check our email look these up.

While we all know someone who has avoided Facebook on some principle, email is part of our lives. We cannot avoid it. Our smartphones buzz. Our computers beep. Heck…”You’ve got mail” right now!

But I must say…I am concerned.  Can email be bad?

I would point to a recent JAMA article entitled, “Metastasis of E-mail at an Academic Medical Center.” This article states, “The risk that important information might not reach every intended recipient must be balanced against not only the cost of our current metastatic e-mail culture, but also “e-mail fatigue” that can undermine effective communication.

KevinMD.com also had a great article on this, “Email fatigue leads to lost physician productivity.”

Two quotes that I found to be spot-on:

1) In his article he sources a pediatrician from the Penn State College of Medicine. This doctor kept track of all of his emails for an academic year and found that 2035 mass distribution emails were received. “Assuming it took 30 seconds to read each email and based on the average salary of a doctor at their institution, the cost comes to about $1641 per physician. Since there were 629 employed doctors, that’s more than $1 million worth of time lost. If reading an email takes 90 seconds, multiply that by 3.”

2) He also goes on to say“…The barrage of emails is distracting, and important information may be overlooked.”

So…after receiving my 37th REPLY ALL email today with responses such as “Congrats!” “Way to go!” “Congrats to all! Great work!” I would argue this is just email pollution.

99% of the recipients don’t care.  Somewhat read.  Rapidly deleted.

This is why important emails are missed. It is email fatigue. When an important email is sent, it is deleted, assuming it is another nonsensical email.

KevinMD.com says, “Like having a child, using email requires no license or training of any kind. Anyone with a computer or phone and an Internet connection can send an email.”

He then goes on to say, “…some people believe they are so important…they feel they must let everyone know that they will attend the next meeting of the task force to decide which brand of ketchup the cafeteria will carry.”

So I ask again…before you are allowed to email…should you be required to take a test? (or maybe we should just hide that REPLY ALL button and listservs for our sanity!)

Knowledge is power!
Garret Pachtinger, VMD, DACVECC
Board Certified Emergency and Critical Care Specialist
Co-Founder, VETgirl