Timely Response to Secure Messages From Primary Care Patients
| Autor: | Sara S. Oberhelman, Frederick North, Kurt B. Angstman, Matthew R. Meunier, James E. Rohrer |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2013 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Delayed response Time Factors Health (social science) Adolescent Leadership and Management Primary care Young Adult Patient safety medicine Humans Young adult Care Planning Aged Quality of Health Care Retrospective Studies Aged 80 and over High rate Data source Electronic Mail Primary Health Care business.industry Health Policy Retrospective cohort study Middle Aged medicine.disease Work flow Female Medical emergency business |
| Zdroj: | Quality Management in Health Care. 22:161-166 |
| ISSN: | 1063-8628 |
| DOI: | 10.1097/qmh.0b013e31828be314 |
| Popis: | PURPOSE To assess delays in response to patient secure e-mail messages in primary care. BACKGROUND Secure electronic messages are initiated by primary care patients. Timely response is necessary for patient safety and quality. DATA SOURCE A database of secure messages. SAMPLE A random sample of 353 secure electronic messages initiated by primary care patients treated in 4 clinics. OUTCOME MEASURES Message not opened after 12 hours or messages not responded to after 36 hours. RESULTS A total of 8.5% of electronic messages were not opened within 12 hours, and 17.6% did not receive a response in 36 hours. Clinic location, being a clinic employee, and patient sex were not related to delays. Patients older than 50 years were more likely to receive a delayed response (25.7% delayed, P = .013). The risk of both kinds of delays was higher on weekends (P < .001 for both). CONCLUSION The e-mail message system resulted in high rates of delayed response. Delays were concentrated on weekends (Friday-Sunday). Reducing delayed responses may require automatic rerouting of messages to message centers staffed 24-7 or other mechanisms to manage this after-hours work flow. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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