A national survey of hospital-based clinicians found that close to 80% of clinicians still rely on pagers for communication and that few hospitals have succeeded in introducing secure text messaging as a primary channel for care-related communication. In fact, 53% of clinicians indicate standard text messaging (not secure) was common, despite the fact that 22% of these messages are sent with individually identifiable information in violation of HIPAA compliance requirements.
A recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine, “Hospital-based clinicians’ use of technology for patient care-related communication,” found that 49% of clinicians see pagers as the most common communication method for patient care-related messages. To many physician, the pager is nearly a ‘right of passage,’ a part of becoming a physician.
The average nurse spends 56% of their time on care co-ordination and documentation, including time wasted looking up pager numbers and waiting for call-backs. In the event a page is unanswered, a nurse must repeat the process for the next physician. With increased pressures on clinicians and nurses to update messages to an EMR for audibility, and the desire for in-depth and real-time communication about patient status, pagers have resulted in many communication breakdowns that contribute to the $12 billion annual cost to US hospitals for communication inefficiencies.
Despite increasing costs, pagers remain ingrained in the workflow of physicians and are connected to many hospital systems and processes; many hospitals have struggled with evaluating, implementing and rolling out a pager alternative.
In the recent study, 27% of clinicians report that their organization had implemented a secure messaging application that is in use by some, but only 7% report secure text messaging applications as being used by most clinicians. This data indicates that hospitals have failed to shift away from pager culture even when more secure text message applications are introduced.
Most hospitals maintain 10-12 different communication systems, including legacy systems such as pagers and DTEC phones. Rather than add to the complexity with a new technology, you can solve the critical flaws in communication workflows through integration and a respect for existing pager processes and cultural practices.
Hospitals that have succeeded in transitioning away from pager culture when they:
Telmediq’s Healthcare Communications Hub (HCH) integrates with your hospital’s clinical, IT, and telecom systems to unify communications and streamline care coordination. The ultimate result of quick and error-free communication is improved patient experience and safety as well as savings for your clinicians and supporting staff.
Evolve your healthcare communication system by respecting the unique healthcare processes and professionals in your organization. Learn more about the benefits of a full Healthcare Communications Hub.