December
2003
Volume 27 •
No. 10
Overzealous
spam blockers zap key E-mail;
some simple user settings can fix problem
Medical staff members need to include Medstaff@stanfordmed.org as an acceptable address in their e-mail preferences to prevent overzealous anti-spam programs from blocking time-sensitive announcements, such as bed control or infection control updates.
Also, staff members should inform the Medical Staff Office when they change e-mail addresses.
"We do try to limit e-mails but sometimes that form of communication is the most timely, effective vehicle for transmitting important information," explained Sandi Edgar, director of medical staff services.
"We don't send attachments because many e-mail systems won't accept them," said Edgar, who added that in the future the hospital plans to send an e-mail alert with a quick link directly to the hospital's external website.
Edgar said that some commercial Internet providers incorrectly interpret legitimate bulk electronic mailings, such as messages sent to the entire medical staff, as junk mail. While Stanford e-mail systems typically accommodate such mailings from an internal source, many staff members are using external services, such as AOL or Earthlink. In some cases, the mail is simply eliminated, not bounced back to the sender, so the Medical Staff office is unaware that a message was never delivered to an individual.
"Junk mail, or spam, is truly annoying for all of us, and those of us who send mail understand the need to be succinct," said Edgar. "On the other hand, we have a great tool that can provide rapid, definitive information on key medical topics. For example, during the SARS peak, we were able to rapidly and consistently disseminate information to the medical staff and other health providers." The hospital also provides information on bed control or other "real time" operational issues that affect physician practice, she said.
Edgar noted that many commercial services offer a variety of options to handle spam. Also, e-mail clients or desktop programs, such as Eudora or Microsoft Mail, provide options to place mail from designated senders or on designated topics into folders that are separate from a general inbox. "This helps many busy people efficiently manage the increasing influx of email messages, allowing us to read and act on topics at a time and in a sequence of our choosing," Edgar noted.
Doctor without 'white coat' offers political reality check
Medical board clarifies policies for conflicts of interests, human subjects
Overzealous spam blockers zap key E-mail
Sorensen, hematologist, medical board member is advocate for community colleagues
Otolaryngology becomes department
BMT numbers grow past landmark number
Bylaws committee formed, begins work
Faculty women honored in NLM exhibit
