Decreasing the Lag Between Result Availability and Decision-Making in the Emergency Department Using Push Notifications

Providers Electing to Receive Electronic Result Notifications: Demographics and Motivation

BACKGROUND

 Automated electronic result notifications can alert health care providers of important clinical results. In contrast to historical notification systems, which were predominantly focused on critical laboratory abnormalities and often not very customizable, modern electronic health records provide capabilities for subscription-based electronic notification. This capability has not been well studied.

OBJECTIVES

 The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of when and how a provider decides to use a subscription-based electronic notification. Better appreciation for the factors that contribute to selecting such notifications could aid in improving the functionality of these tools.

METHODS

 We performed an 8-month quantitative assessment of 3,291 notifications and a qualitative survey assessment of 73 providers who utilized an elective notification tool in our electronic health record.

RESULTS

 We found that most notifications were requested by attending physicians (∼60%) and from internal medicine specialty (∼25%). Most providers requested only a few notifications while a small minority (nearly 5%) requested 10 or more in the study period. The majority (nearly 30%) of requests were for chemistry laboratories. Survey respondents reported using the tool predominantly for important or time-sensitive laboratories. Overall opinions of the tool were positive (median = 7 out of 10, 95% confidence interval: 6-9), with 40% of eligible respondents reporting the tool improved quality of care. Reported examples included time to result review, monitoring of heparin drips, and reviewing pathology results.

CONCLUSION

 Developing an understanding for when and how providers decide to be notified of clinical results can help aid in the design and improvement of clinical tools, such as improved elective notifications. These tools may lead to reduced time to result review which could in turn improve clinical care quality.

Effectiveness of a Mobile App in Reducing Therapeutic Turnaround Time and Facilitating Communication between Caregivers in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

For maintaining collaboration and coordination among emergency department (ED) caregivers, it is essential to effectively share patient-centered information. Indirect activities on patients, such as searching for laboratory results and sharing information with scattered colleagues, waste resources to the detriment of patients and staff. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the initial efficacy of a mobile app to facilitate rapid mobile access to central laboratory results and remote interprofessional communication. A total of 10 ED residents and registered nurses were randomized regarding the use of the app versus conventional methods during semi-simulated scenarios in a pediatric ED (PED). The primary outcome was the elapsed time in minutes in each group from the availability of laboratory results to their consideration by participants. The secondary outcome was the elapsed time to find a colleague upon request. Time to consider laboratory results was significantly reduced from 23 min (IQR 10.5–49.0) to 1 min (IQR 0–5.0) with the use of the app compared to conventional methods (92.2% reduction in mean times, p = 0.0079). Time to find a colleague was reduced from 24 min to 1 min (i.e., 93.0% reduction). Dedicated mobile apps have the potential to improve information sharing and remote communication in emergency care.