SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Volume and Patterns of Electronic Messaging Use Among Hospitalists

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This study examined how often hospitalists use Epic Secure Chat and how that messaging relates to workload at a large urban academic hospital over one month in April 2023. Researchers reviewed messaging data for 46 physicians and 42 advanced practice providers across 14 daytime hospital medicine teams.<br /><br />The authors found that hospitalists were heavily engaged with secure messaging. On average, each hospitalist sent or received 130 messages per day, with a median of 119 messages. Per hour, hospitalists handled a median of 10 messages. The median time between a message being sent and being read was 39 seconds, suggesting very rapid response times and frequent interruptions during clinical work.<br /><br />Messaging volume varied with patient workload. The number of messages sent and accessed per hour was significantly correlated with starting morning census, meaning busier teams handled more secure messages. In contrast, census did not significantly affect lag time, so the speed of message access remained similar even as workload increased.<br /><br />The study concludes that secure messaging creates a substantial communication burden for hospitalists and may contribute to interruptions, cognitive load, and possibly medical error risk. At the same time, messaging volume may serve as a useful, near-real-time indicator of workload. The authors suggest it could be used to evaluate workflow changes and interventions aimed at reducing burden and improving efficiency.

Asset Subtitle

Claire R. Brickson

Meta Tag

Author List Angela Keniston, Claire R. Brickson, Lauren McBeth, Marisha Burden, Michelle Knees

Category Research

Concept Secure Messaging

Concept Hospitalist

Concept Message Volume

Concept Clinician Work Volume

Concept Daytime Inpatient Work

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine

Presenting Author Claire R. Brickson

Track Technology in Hospital Medicine

Keywords

hospitalists

Epic Secure Chat

secure messaging

workload

message volume

census

response time

interruptions

cognitive load

hospital medicine

Secure Messaging

Hospitalist

Message Volume

Clinician Work Volume

Daytime Inpatient Work