PD40-12 THE BURDEN OF PATIENT COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE THE EXAM ROOM IN AN INFERTILITY PRACTICE

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Practice Patterns, Quality of Life and Shared Decision Making IV (PD40)1 Apr 2020PD40-12 THE BURDEN OF PATIENT COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE THE EXAM ROOM IN AN INFERTILITY PRACTICE Jagan K. Kansal*, John Doolittle, Peter N. Dietrich, Vimal Gunasekaran, Zachary J. Prebay, Robert Medairos, and Jay I. Sandlow Jagan K. Kansal*Jagan K. Kansal* More articles by this author , John DoolittleJohn Doolittle More articles by this author , Peter N. DietrichPeter N. Dietrich More articles by this author , Vimal GunasekaranVimal Gunasekaran More articles by this author , Zachary J. PrebayZachary J. Prebay More articles by this author , Robert MedairosRobert Medairos More articles by this author , and Jay I. SandlowJay I. Sandlow More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000000920.012AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Physician burnout has been attributed to an increase in administrative tasks. Patient questions in the form of electronic messages can be burdensome to the healthcare system while not providing effective communication. Infertility patients represent a unique patient population as they often travel long distances given the paucity of male infertility specialists. This increases utilization of electronic communication which can lead to further questions and confusion. The provider is also unable to capture this time as a billable service. This study sought to analyze the amount of patient-physician dialogue outside of the exam room. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed new infertility consults presenting to single institution over an 18-month time span from June 2018 to December 2019. We analyzed the electronic communication that occurred after the first in-person visit. The primary variable was number of patient questions. Secondary variables included include distance traveled, and number of responses from administrative staff and physicians. RESULTS: 147 new patient visits were analyzed. Mean age was 34.3 (SD 6.9) and BMI was 29.5 (SD 6.3). 76.9% were Caucasian and 12.9% were Black. The mean distance traveled was 37.4 miles. 74 (50.3%) lived within 20 miles, while 11 (7.5%) lived more than 100 miles away. Of the 147 visits, 100 (68%) did generate at least one MyChart message. 63% of messages were to discuss lab results. Patients electronically asked at least one question 39.7% of the time. 56% of all new patient visits led to a result requiring an initial physician response. The physician had to provide a subsequent response 23.3% of the time. Starting a new medication led to a patient question 50% of the time, which was the most likely reason for a patient to message a provider. The average response time was 2.5 days from the time of the patient question. Overall, from the 147 new patient consults, the physician had written 184 messages. CONCLUSIONS: Patient messages after a clinic visit can be cumbersome and time consuming. Stratifying patients based on their likelihood of asking a question may provoke face-to-face conversation to reduce the burden to both the patient and the provider. Further research is needed to develop alternative strategies to reduce the burden of post-clinic dialogue as electronic messages can be an ineffective means of communication. Source of Funding: None © 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 203Issue Supplement 4April 2020Page: e819-e820 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Jagan K. Kansal* More articles by this author John Doolittle More articles by this author Peter N. Dietrich More articles by this author Vimal Gunasekaran More articles by this author Zachary J. Prebay More articles by this author Robert Medairos More articles by this author Jay I. Sandlow More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...