Effectiveness of a Mobile App in Reducing Therapeutic Turnaround Time and Facilitating Communication between Caregivers in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Frederic Ehrler; Carlotta Tuor; Remy Trompier; Antoine Berger; Michael Ramusi; Robin Rey; Johan N Siebert

doi:10.3390/jpm12030428

Effectiveness of a Mobile App in Reducing Therapeutic Turnaround Time and Facilitating Communication between Caregivers in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

J Pers Med. 2022 Mar 9;12(3):428. doi: 10.3390/jpm12030428.

Authors

Frederic Ehrler¹, Carlotta Tuor², Remy Trompier³, Antoine Berger³, Michael Ramusi³, Robin Rey², Johan N Siebert^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Division of Medical Information Sciences, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
² Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
³ Information Technology Department, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital, Geneva University Hospitals, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.

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.

Keywords: clinical laboratory information systems; communication; digital technology; emergency department; emergency service; hospital; mHealth; mobile application; pediatrics; text messaging.