MedPath

Virtual White Boards for Patient Satisfaction

Not Applicable
Conditions
Satisfaction
Emergencies
Information Disclosure
Satisfaction, Patient
Covid19
Interventions
Device: e-ink screen
Behavioral: Treatment as usual
Registration Number
NCT04497922
Lead Sponsor
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brief Summary

Communication with patients on their clinical status is important in delivering care in the emergency department. During times of high volume or complex patients, there may be lapses in communicating with patients about their hospital course or plans of action. These miscommunications may be enhanced during the current COVID-19 pandemic as there is minimized in-person interaction with patients in order to conserve personal protective equipment and decrease the risk of disease transmission. This study utilizes a virtual white board to deliver updates to patients about the status of their emergency department stay.

Detailed Description

The ultimate goal of this study is to understand the effect of delivering timely information about a patient's emergency department course of their satisfaction surrounding the emergency department stay. The experience of patients in the emergency department has been significantly altered by the COVID-19 pandemic due to decreased in-person encounters, and the use of PPE. Delivering information about their clinical course and expected hospital course is more difficult now given the emphasis on less in-person interaction. In response, the investigators have deployed in collaboration with e-ink, a virtual e-paper white board that can be remotely edited to help display pertinent hospital course information to patients in the emergency department. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial to understand the effect of deploying these white boards on patient satisfaction in the emergency department.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
UNKNOWN
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients in emergency department at Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • Triaged to designated emergency department pods outfitted with virtual white board
  • Expected emergency department stay of at least four hours
  • Able to speak and read english
  • Not primary psychiatric complaint
Exclusion Criteria
  • Medically ill or otherwise deemed unable to participate by the study PI and/or treating clinical team.
  • Patients admitted to an inpatient bed but boarding in the emergency department over 10 hours.
  • Previously participated in the study.
  • Has COVID-19 risk flag or confirmed COVID-19 in electronic health record

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Virtual white boarde-ink screenIndividuals triaged to a pod in the emergency department in a room that is fitted with a virtual display screen
Treatment as usual in emergency departmentTreatment as usualIndividuals triaged to a pod in the emergency department without rooms that are fitted with a virtual display screen
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Quality of emergency department stay: likert scale30 minutes after disposition decision for patient

Quality of information conveyed to participant (rated on 5 point likert scale on questions about quality of waiting time for test results, staff concern, perceived teamwork in the hospital)

emergency department satisfaction: likert scale30 minutes after disposition decision for patient

Satisfaction of overall emergency department stay measured by a 1-5 likert scale, hospital developed question on satisfaction (how satisfied were you with your emergency department stay today?)- higher score is better

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Preference for virtual white board30 minutes after disposition decision for patient

Question on preference for virtual white board compared to a standard emergency department room without a white board (1-4 likert scale, with 4 being strongly prefer white board room)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Brigham and Women's Hospital

🇺🇸

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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