Abstract
For maintaining collaboration and coordination among emergency department (ED) caregivers, it is essential to effectively share patient-centered information. Indirect activities on patients, such as searching for laboratory results and sharing information with scattered colleagues, waste resources to the detriment of patients and staff. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate the initial efficacy of a mobile app to facilitate rapid mobile access to central laboratory results and remote interprofessional communication. A total of 10 ED residents and registered nurses were randomized regarding the use of the app versus conventional methods during semi-simulated scenarios in a pediatric ED (PED). The primary outcome was the elapsed time in minutes in each group from the availability of laboratory results to their consideration by participants. The secondary outcome was the elapsed time to find a colleague upon request. Time to consider laboratory results was significantly reduced from 23 min (IQR 10.5–49.0) to 1 min (IQR 0–5.0) with the use of the app compared to conventional methods (92.2% reduction in mean times, p = 0.0079). Time to find a colleague was reduced from 24 min to 1 min (i.e., 93.0% reduction). Dedicated mobile apps have the potential to improve information sharing and remote communication in emergency care.
Highlights
Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a global healthcare problem [1] that is both a source and consequence of prolonged ED length of stay (ED-LOS)
We evaluated two methods for considering laboratory results and finding a colleague to aim for joint action during standardized, semi-simulated scenarios of everyday life in a pediatric ED (PED)
All participants who used the app found their colleague at most within 4 min, whereas it took up to 56 min for participants who did not use the app (Figure 4), i.e., a 93.0% reduction in time wasted searching for someone. In this randomized pilot trial, we found that the use of a user-centered mobile app significantly reduced the time taken by pediatric emergency caregivers to consider laboratory results as well as the time needed to find colleagues
Summary
Caregivers’ delayed awareness and review of results in the post-analytical phase have been described as the largest component of perceived TAT [10] This makes them a prime target for interventions to mitigate their impact on ED-LOS and improve patient flow. This delay may be partially due to the fact that, while waiting for results without the support of individualized real-time laboratory prompts, caregivers are extremely busy, juggling multiple other responsibilities and multitasking, which take them away from fixed, computerized workstations and from the time the results are released. This places a cognitive burden on caregivers, who must regularly inquire about the availability of laboratory results with the risk of forgetting them
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