Email system sharing results of tests pending at discharge improves care

An automated system that notifies responsible physicians of the results of tests pending at discharge through a secure, network email improved their awareness of a patient’s status and boosted provider satisfaction, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) and Partners HealthCare in Boston conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial, in which adult patients from inpatient general medicine and cardiology services with tests pending at discharge were assigned either to the intervention or control arm of the study. Physicians were surveyed 72 hours after the results of the tests pending at discharge were finalized.

“[A]utomated email notification is an effective strategy for improving awareness of tests pending at discharge results by responsible physicians,” wrote Anuj K. Dalal, MD, of BWH Hospitalist Service, and colleagues.  

“It is practical for any healthcare network that uses secure external messaging for clinical communication, assuming accurate identification of physicians involved in a patient's transition. In theory, this strategy could facilitate electronic acknowledgement, transfer of responsibility and subsequent actions, thereby improving patient safety during care transitions,” the authors added.