Texting has become one of the most reliable ways to reach patients, but hospitals can easily overuse this communication mode and risk losing the channel entirely, Penn Medicine researchers wrote in a June 29 viewpoint in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Kimberly Waddell, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine’s Perelman School of Medicine, and Shivan Mehta, MD, the system’s associate chief innovation officer, noted users open 82% of text messages within five minutes, the reason the channel works so well. However, patients can quickly become inundated with texts, spurring them to unsubscribe from messages.
Drs. Waddell and Mehta laid out five steps hospitals can take to preserve this communication channel and avoid “text overload”:
1. Build texts into clinical workflows using behavioral science principles.
2. Personalize messages based on patient history and behavior.
3. Establish one hospitalwide texting strategy that tracks every message a patient receives across departments and eliminates duplicates.
4. Bundle related messages, such as appointment reminders and screening notices, while keeping time-sensitive information separate.
5. Rigorously evaluate texting programs using process and outcomes measures, versus basic engagement metrics. Randomized or quasi-experimental studies should also be used when possible, researchers said.
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
