The Use of Wireless E-Mail to Improve Healthcare Team Communication
- Chris O'Connor, MDa,
- Jan O Friedrich, MD, DPhil, MScb,
- Damon C Scales, MD, PhDc,d,
- Neill K J Adhikari, MDCM, MScc,d
- aDepartment of Medicine, Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, ON, Canada
- bDepartments of Critical Care and Medicine and The Keenan Research Centre in The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- cDepartment of Critical Care Medicine and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- dInterdepartmental Division of Critical Care and Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Correspondence: Neill K.J. Adhikari, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Room D1.08, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada M4N 3M5 (Email: neill.adhikari{at}utoronto.ca).
- Received 4 October 2006
- Accepted 22 April 2009
Abstract
Objective To assess the impact of using wireless e-mail for clinical communication in an intensive care unit (ICU).
Design The authors implemented push wireless e-mail over a GSM cellular network in a 26-bed ICU during a 6-month study period. Daytime ICU staff (intensivists, nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, clerical staff, and ICU leadership) used handheld devices (BlackBerry, Research in Motion, Waterloo, ON) without dedicated training. The authors recorded e-mail volume and used standard methods to develop a self-administered survey of ICU staff to measure wireless e-mail impact.
Measurements The survey assessed perceived impact of wireless e-mail on communication, team relationships, staff satisfaction and patient care. Answers were recorded on a 7-point Likert scale; favorable responses were categorized as Likert responses 5, 6, and 7.
Results Staff sent 5.2 (1.9) and received 8.9 (2.1) messages (mean [SD]) per day during 5 months of the 6-month study period; usage decreased after study completion. Most (106/125 [85%]) staff completed the questionnaire. The majority reported that wireless e-mail improved speed (92%) and reliability (92%) of communication, improved coordination of ICU team members (88%), reduced staff frustration (75%), and resulted in faster (90%) and safer (75%) patient care; Likert responses were significantly different from neutral (p < 0.001 for all). Staff infrequently (18%) reported negative effects on communication. There were no reports of radiofrequency interference with medical devices.
Conclusions Interdisciplinary ICU staff perceived wireless e-mail to improve communication, team relationships, staff satisfaction, and patient care. Further research should address the impact of wireless e-mail on efficiency and timeliness of staff workflow and clinical outcomes.
Footnotes
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Competing interests: Research In Motion (RIM, Waterloo, ON) provided devices for the study on an unrestricted basis. Rogers Wireless (Toronto, ON) provided unlimited data communication over a local GSM cellular network on an unrestricted basis. The funding sources had no role in the conception, design, or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript. Chris O'Connor, Jan O. Friedrich, Damon C. Scales, and Neill K.J. Adhikari have no financial or other conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this manuscript to disclose.
