Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28241939›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of medical informatics2017

The impact of secure messaging on workflow in primary care: Results of a multiple-case, multiple-method study.

Peter L T Hoonakker, Pascale Carayon, Randi S Cartmill

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of medical informatics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
11.8field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 62 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Patient E-Message Character Limit Impact on Primary Care Clinician Burnout.Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
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  12. Article
  13. Observational
  14. Article
  15. Redesigning primary care: Provider perspectives on the clinical utility of virtual visits.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2023
    Article
  16. Impact of virtual visits on primary care physician work flows.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2023
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Peter L T HoonakkerCenter for Quality and Productivity Improvement (CQPI), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA. Electronic address: peter.hoonakker@wisc.edu.
Pascale CarayonCenter for Quality and Productivity Improvement (CQPI), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Randi S CartmillDepartment of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, K6/117 s Clinical Science Center, 600 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53792, USA.
University of Wisconsin–Madison · US

Funding

Institutional Clinical and Translational Science AwardUL1TR000427 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI DREZNER, MARC KENNETH · 2012 to 2016
$32.2M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000427
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionSecure messaging is a relatively new addition to health information technology (IT). Several studies have examined the impact of secure messaging on (clinical) outcomes but very few studies have examined the impact on workflow in primary care clinics. In this study we examined the impact of secure messaging on workflow of clinicians, staff and patients.

methodsWe used a multiple case study design with multiple data collections methods (observation, interviews and survey).

resultsResults show that secure messaging has the potential to improve communication and information flow and the organization of work in primary care clinics, partly due to the possibility of asynchronous communication. However, secure messaging can also have a negative effect on communication and increase workload, especially if patients send messages that are not appropriate for the secure messaging medium (for example, messages that are too long, complex, ambiguous, or inappropriate). Results show that clinicians are ambivalent about secure messaging. Secure messaging can add to their workload, especially if there is high message volume, and currently they are not compensated for these activities. Staff is -especially compared to clinicians- relatively positive about secure messaging and patients are overall very satisfied with secure messaging. Finally, clinicians, staff and patients think that secure messaging can have a positive effect on quality of care and patient safety.

conclusionSecure messaging is a tool that has the potential to improve communication and information flow. However, the potential of secure messaging to improve workflow is dependent on the way it is implemented and used.

Indexed as

Computer SecurityWorkflowAdultCommunicationElectronic MailFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrimary Health CareSurveys and QuestionnairesText MessagingWorkloadMixed methodsMultiple case studyPatient portalSecure messagingWorkflow

Identifiers

PMID28241939
PMCPMC8365630
OpenAlexW2574282959

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.