EHR-integrated secure messaging is increasingly used for clinical communication, yet relatively little is known about its impact on clinician workflow. In this study, we measured the relationship between secure messaging use, clinician workload, and cognitive burden. We found that high secure messaging use was associated with increased EHR time and attention switching, suggesting that secure messaging may negatively impact clinician work.
EHR-integrated secure messaging is increasingly used for clinical communication, yet relatively little is known about how it affects how clinicians communicate with each other. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between secure messaging and telephone use among resident physicians. We found that more secure messaging use was associated with more telephone use, which goes against the hypothesis that secure chat might replace telephone use.
EHR-integrated secure messaging is increasingly used for clinical communication, yet relatively little is known about how it is used and who its primary users are. In this study, we characterized secure messaging users and their messaging behaviors within a large health system. We found that secure messaging was widely used by a diverse range of healthcare professionals, with many users interacting with over 20 messages per day. The short message response times and high messaging volume observed highlight the interruptive nature of secure messaging, raising questions about its potentially harmful effects on clinician workflow, cognition, and errors.