Guelph Internal Medicine Clinic

Electronic Communications

How we use email, text, video and our secure portal — what each is safe for, what it is not, and what you are agreeing to when you consent.

Effective
August 22, 2026

What we use, and what for

We offer four ways of communicating with you electronically: our secure patient portal, email, text message, and video appointments.

As a rule, email and text are only used to tell you that a new message is waiting in the secure portal — not to carry the message itself. The portal exists because it is the safe place for anything clinical.

What we cannot promise

We take reasonable steps to protect what is sent and received. We cannot guarantee it. You are entitled to know exactly why before you agree to anything:

  • Messages can be intercepted by others, and the risk rises with how sensitive the content is.
  • Email and text are easily misdirected — one wrong character and it reaches someone else entirely.
  • Employers and online services often have a legal right to inspect anything passing through their systems. If you use a work address, your employer may be able to read it.
  • Messages can be forwarded, copied, stored or altered without either of us knowing.
  • Deleting a message does not remove it. Backup copies can persist on systems neither of us controls.
  • Electronic messages can be disclosed under a court order or a legal duty to report.
  • It is not possible to verify who really sent a message, or to ensure only the intended person reads it.
  • Some video platforms are more open to interception than others.
  • These tools can carry malware that damages or disrupts a computer, a network, or its security settings.

What these are not for

Never use electronic messages for an emergency or anything time-sensitive. If this is an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

We will try to respond promptly, but we cannot guarantee a message will be read within any particular time. If you have sent something that needs an answer and have not had one in a reasonable time, please follow up — do not assume it arrived and is being dealt with.

Virtual care does not replace being examined in person, or a phone call, where that is what your care actually needs.

If you want your results by email

As a rule we do not send medical information by ordinary email. But if you ask us to, we will.

Some people would rather have their results in hand than wait for a call, and that is a legitimate decision to make about your own information. When you ask, we will remind you of the risks above once, and then do as you have asked. You can change your mind at any time, and it will not affect your care.

What happens to these messages

Electronic messages and records of virtual appointments may be printed or transcribed and become part of your medical record. Others authorised to see your record — clinical and administrative staff — may therefore see them.

Your clinician may forward messages to the people delivering and administering your care. We will not forward them to anyone outside that, including family members, without your written consent, unless the law requires it.

If there is a kind of information you would rather we never sent electronically, tell us and we will note it. You can change that instruction at any time, in writing.