Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31242514›Full record

ArticleApplied clinical informatics2019

Inpatient Communication Networks: Leveraging Secure Text-Messaging Platforms to Gain Insight into Inpatient Communication Systems.

Philip A Hagedorn, Eric S Kirkendall, S Andrew Spooner, Vishnu Mohan

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Applied clinical informatics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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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

4 authors.

Philip A HagedornDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.
Eric S KirkendallDepartment of Pediatrics, Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States.
S Andrew SpoonerDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.
Vishnu MohanDepartment of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis study attempts to characterize the inpatient communication network within a quaternary pediatric academic medical center by applying network analysis methods to secure text-messaging data.

methodsWe used network graphing and statistical software to create network models of an inpatient communication system with secure text-messaging data from physicians, nurses, and other ancillary staff in an academic medical center. Descriptive statistics about the network, users within the network, and visualizations informed the team's understanding of the network and its components.

resultsAnalysis of messages exchanged over approximately 23 days revealed a large, scale-free network with 4,442 nodes and 59,913 edges. Quantitative description of user behavior (messages sent and received) and network metrics (i.e., importance of nodes within a network) revealed several operational and clinical roles both sending and receiving > 1,000 messages over this time period. While some of these nodes represented expected "dispatcher" roles in our inpatient system, others occupied important frontline clinical roles responsible for bedside clinical care.

conclusionQuantitative and network analysis of secure text-messaging logs revealed several key operational and clinical roles at risk for alert fatigue and information overload. This analysis also revealed a communication network highly reliant on these key roles, meaning disruption to these individuals or their workflows could lead to dysfunction of the communication network. While secure text-messaging applications play increasingly important roles in facilitating inpatient communication, little is understood about the impact these systems have on health care providers. Developing methods to understand and optimize communication between inpatient providers might help operational and clinical leaders to proactively prevent poorly understood pitfalls associated with these systems and build resilient and effective communication structures.

Indexed as

CommunicationComputer SecurityInpatientsHealth PersonnelHumansText Messaging

Identifiers

PMID31242514
PMCPMC6594834

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.