There is a growing trend among doctors in today's technologically advanced world. Instead of the telling patients to 'call them in the morning,' doctors are now asking patients to email them.

The successes of web sites such as WebMD.com, FamilyDoctor.org, and MSN Health have paved the way for the availability of medical assistance on the world wide web. This new trend of doctors taking personal emails from patients is pushing the availability of medical assistance beyond what patients are accustomed to.

Doctors in hospitals, and even ones with private practices are setting up email accounts, so patients can contact them. Some doctors have even stopped using the phone altogether.

Beth Valente, 19, is a sophomore business student at Marist College.

"A little while ago I had some knee problems, and it would have been great if I could have just emailed Health Services here on campus and asked some questions," said Valente.

With doctors spending more and more time at the computer, some are trying to get paid for doing it. Some insurance providers are attempting to set up a system similar to doctor visits. With the email it would be a flat fee or co-pay for email access to their physicians for a year.

Many people would feel a lot more comfortable asking a doctor questions through email. Sometimes it is embarrassing trying to express what you want to say. Email is much easier because there is almost that sense of anonymity, said James Brearton, 20, a junior computer science student at Marist College.

Ellen Dempsey is a R.N. and is the Community Educator for the Women and Children's Division at St. Peter's University Hospital.

"People are a lot more concise and well thought out when using email, which makes it easy for doctors to respond to their question. It is much better then having a rambling message left on the voice mail," Dempsey said.

One person who was extremely happy that her former doctor was available through email is Elizabeth Jordan Carr. To many people the name is a familiar one, she was the first test-tube baby born in the United States.

The doctor who performed the fertilization and later the birth was Dr. Fred Wirth.

I have a letter the Dr. Wirth wrote to me on the day I was born, it gave me strength when I felt insecure, said Carr.

When Carr was an intern at The Virginian-Pilot, she used the in-house library and began trying to track down Wirth. They found a Web site for Wirth's company, and Carr sent him an e-mail.

"It just touched my heart to have her go to all this effort to reach me. I've saved hundreds of children's lives, and none of them have bothered to even call me," said Dr. Wirth in a Chicago Tribune article.

Carr and Dr. Wirth were able to finally meet face to face in October, 2003.

With the embracement of new technology, it makes it even easier for doctors to assess problems that are immediate, and those that can wait until the next available appointment. This has become especially important because of over crowding in doctor's offices, according to the Center for Studying Health System Change.

Many patients have been using their digital camera to send pictures along with questions. Beth Segel, is an electrical engineer living in Dana Point, Calif., who did just that. She was nine months pregnant and developed a rash, and did not want to take a 25 mile car ride to her doctor's office. So her husband took a picture of the rash and sent it to the doctor. The doctor was able to evaluate the rash as a minor food reaction and told Mrs. Segal she could wait until her scheduled appointment, and didn't have to come in, according to a Consumer Reports article.

By using the email it saved time, money, and a long car ride to the doctor's office.

Doctors and patients who use email consider it superior to the telephone, not only for answering questions but also for renewing prescriptions, making referrals, and communicating test results.

Also, documentation of physician-patient exchanges are simpler and neater. "I just hit the print button, sign it, date it and file it," said Dr. Lee Green is an assistant professor or family practices at the University of Michigan

Another main advantage of email is the elimination of telephone tag. Many times doctors spend their time at the hospital and an office or two. Patients are sometimes reluctant to interrupt their physician with a phone call, and the doctor can be just as difficult to track down. If the doctor and is patients regularly check for new email, it can speed communication, and even improve it according to an article in the US News and World Report..