@article{4041,
  keywords = {Communication, Information technology, Patient safety, Surgery, mHealth},
  author = {Maximilian J. Johnston and Dominic King and Sonal Arora and Nebil Behar and Thanos Athanasiou and Nick Sevdalis and Ara Darzi},
  title = {Smartphones let surgeons know WhatsApp: an analysis of communication in emergency surgical teams.},
  abstract = {<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Outdated communication technologies in healthcare can place patient safety at risk. This study aimed to evaluate implementation of the WhatsApp messaging service within emergency surgical teams.</p><p><b>METHODS: </b>A prospective mixed-methods study was conducted in a London hospital. All emergency surgery team members (n = 40) used WhatsApp for communication for 19 weeks. The initiator and receiver of communication were compared for response times and communication types. Safety events were reported using direct quotations.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>More than 1,100 hours of communication pertaining to 636 patients were recorded, generating 1,495 communication events. The attending initiated the most instruction-giving communication, whereas interns asked the most clinical questions (P < .001). The resident was the speediest responder to communication compared to the intern and attending (P < .001). The participants felt that WhatsApp helped flatten the hierarchy within the team.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>WhatsApp represents a safe, efficient communication technology. This study lays the foundations for quality improvement innovations delivered over smartphones.</p>},
  year = {2015},
  journal = {Am J Surg},
  volume = {209},
  pages = {45-51},
  month = {01/2015},
  issn = {1879-1883},
  doi = {10.1016/j.amjsurg.2014.08.030},
  language = {eng},
}