Secure messaging use and wrong-patient ordering errors among inpatient clinicians.
Lou SS, Lew D, Xia L, et al. Secure messaging use and wrong-patient ordering errors among inpatient clinicians. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(12):e2447797. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.47797.
Secure messaging (i.e., texts or instant messaging) is an increasingly common method of communication between clinicians. This study sought to explore the association between retract-and-reorder (RAR) events – a common proxy for wrong-patient prescribing events – and secure message volume for inpatient attending physicians, trainee physicians, and advanced practice practitioners. Clinicians with the highest secure messaging volume had higher odds of RAR compared to those with the lowest volume. Stratifying by clinician type, the association was observed only for attending physicians.