Study of the Effect on Clinical Outcomes Using Secure Text Messaging
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
In this study, the investigators will conduct a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the impact of offering mobile secure text messaging on clinical outcomes.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
Inpatient health care providers such as physicians and nurses spend up to one-third of their time communicating with other health care providers. Many of these communications have shifted mediums from handwritten notes and face-to-face conversations to phone calls and paging systems. More recently the rapid adoption of smartphones has led to the use of mobile-enabled technologies using smartphones such as text messaging and email. While these technologies may offer ease and fit better within the clinical workflow, they often send patient information through unsecure cellular or internet connections. Mobile secure text messaging may address these issues by encrypting data and allowing for asynchronous or synchronous communication between individual providers or groups of providers. In this study, the investigators will conduct a randomized, controlled trial to evaluate the impact of offering mobile secure text messaging on clinical outcomes.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| No Intervention: Usual care Patients admitted to hospital floors without any other intervention. |
|
| Experimental: Secure text messaging Patients admitted to hospital floors on which physicians and other staff are able to communicate with each other (not to the patient) using mobile secure text messaging. |
Device: Secure text messaging
A smartphone and web application that allows physicians and other health care professionals to communicate to each other by secure text message
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in length of stay [6 months]
Change in inpatient length of stay from baseline to 6 months
- Change in 30 day hospital readmissions [6 months]
Change in 30 day hospital readmissions from baseline to 6 months
- Change in inpatient mortality [6 months]
Change in inpatient mortality from baseline to 6 months
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change in Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAPs) scores [6 months]
Change in HCAP scores from baseline to 6 months
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Admission to one of the hospital floors or services in the study at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Exclusion Criteria:
-
Discharges against medical advice
-
Discharges to hospice
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | United States | 19104 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- University of Pennsylvania
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, MS, University of Pennsylvania
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 823096