Dive Brief:
- A report from Spyglass Consulting Group finds that while 96% of physicians said they use personal smartphones, only 10% of those said they would use them to access or communicate through electronic health record systems.
- The majority of the doctors in the study said they prefer to use consumer text messaging for clinical communication rather than secure messaging applications because it is simpler to do so.
- Respondents expressed frustration over using an EHR system for clinical communication due to inadequate messaging capabilities, limited usability and poor interoperability.
Dive Insight:
This study of a sample of 100 physicians suggests that many hospitals need to improve their mobile tools and support for physicians. Polled physicians reported that only one-third of the hospitals where they work provide help desk support for those trying to use their mobile devices to access the EHR.
In addition to the matters of patient safety and improving ease of collaboration between staff members, there's financial incentive to address mobile computing and communication needs with a unified solution. According to Spyglass Consulting Group, "Inefficient communications during critical clinical workflows costs the average US hospital approximately $1.75 million annually… Next generation communications solutions must be secure, easy‐to‐use, and tightly integrated with the EHR to provide adequate clinical context to close the communications loop with colleagues and team members."