ArticleJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA2021
It's like sending a message in a bottle: A qualitative study of the consequences of one-way communication technologies in hospitals.
Article in Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Enhancing inpatient consultation workflow through implementation of an EHR direct-paging consult order system.Healthcare (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Understanding Antecedents of Nurses' and Physicians' Workaround Behavior Regarding Hospital Information Systems: Qualitative Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Use of pager devices in New Zealand public hospitals as a critical communication tool: Barriers & way forward.Heliyon · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveWe examine how physicians and nurses use available communication technologies and identify the implications for communication and patient care based on the theory of workarounds. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe conducted a qualitative study at 4 U.S. hospitals during 2017. Researchers spent 2 weeks at each hospital conducting unit-based observation, shadowing, interviews, and focus groups with nurses and physicians. Using an iterative process, we inductively coded and thematically analyzed data to derive preliminary themes. The theory of workarounds provides an organizational lens on workarounds, consisting of 5 components: antecedents, types, effects, managerial stance, and organizational challenges of workarounds. The first 3 components of the theory helped us to organize and explain our findings.
resultsCommunication technologies consisted of pagers and telephones. Antecedents to workarounds included one-way information flow, differential access related to differences in technology types, and technology mismatch. Types of workarounds included bypassing a variety of obstacles and substituting for unavailable resources. Direct effects of workarounds included pager fatigue, interruptions in patient care, and potential errors. DISCUSSION: One-way communication technologies created an environment where workarounds could flourish. By placing results within the context of the theory of workarounds, we extend what we know about why and how workarounds develop, and offer strategies to minimize workarounds' adverse effects.
conclusionsThrough the theory of workarounds, we see that there is a trajectory to workarounds with potential consequences for clinicians and patients. Two-way communication technologies could minimize workarounds and gaps in information exchange, and reduce unnecessary interruptions and the potential for adverse events.
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Registered trials
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