ArticleCureus2024
Change in Patient Perceptions of Electronic Communication Methods for an Orthopaedic Fracture Clinic Between 2019 and 2024.
Article in Cureus, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction Outpatient appointments are essential to patient care, yet rising non-attendance rates ('did not attend' DNAs) pose significant challenges, costing the National Health Service (NHS) over £1 billion annually. Traditional postal communication is inefficient and costly, while digital methods like short messaging service (SMS) and electronic mail (email) show the potential to improve attendance and reduce costs. This study investigates changes in patient preferences for orthopaedic outpatient communication methods between 2019 and 2024 at a busy district general hospital in London, UK. Methods A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 and repeated in 2024. A total of 202 participants were involved in this study. A paper questionnaire was administered during fracture clinic visits, collecting data on electronic communication preferences, technology access, and missed appointments. Results The proportion of participants preferring email communication increased significantly from 68.89% in 2019 to 80.61% in 2024 (p < 0.05). Smartphone ownership also significantly rose from 66.32% to 84.46% (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in satisfaction with other-based communication across cohorts, but an increasing trend towards digital communication was noted (p > 0.05). Conclusion Patients show a preference for digital communication over traditional methods. Adopting email-based systems could potentially improve attendance and reduce missed appointments. Further research is needed to address privacy concerns and optimise communication based on patient preferences.
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Registered trials
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