Jordan M Alpert1, Gemme Campbell-Salome2, Cayle Gao3, Merry Jennifer Markham4, Martina Murphy4, Christopher A Harle5, Samantha R Paige1, Till Krenz6, Carma L Bylund5. 1. College of Journalism and Communications, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 2. Genomic Medicine Institute, Department of Population Health Sciences, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania, USA. 3. Center for Undergraduate Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 4. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 5. Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 6. Bureau of Economic and Business Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immediately impacted patient-clinician communication, particularly in the oncology setting. Relatedly, secure messaging (SM) usage greatly increased, yet it is unknown what was discussed and whether the technology was utilized to disseminate information. Aims: This study aimed at identifying the most frequently discussed topics using SM as well as at understanding how the communication process transpired during the early stages of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods design was utilized, consisting of a content analysis of more than 4,200 secure messages, aggregated into 1,454 patient-clinician discussions. Data were collected from February 2020 to May 2020. Discussions were from various oncology departments and included physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. Based on the identified categories, a thematic analysis was conducted to understand the nuances occurring within discussions. Results: Out of the 1,454 discussions, 26% (n = 373) related to COVID-19. Of the COVID-19 discussion, the most frequently coded category was "changes, adjustments, and re-arranging care" (65%, n = 241), followed by "risk for COVID-19" (24%, n = 90), "precautions inside the hospital" (18%, n = 66), and "precautions outside the hospital" (14%, n = 52). Natural language processing techniques were used to confirm the validity of the results. Thematic analysis revealed that patients were proactive in rescheduling appointments, expressed anxiety about being immunocompromised, and clinicians were uncertain about providing recommendations related to COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVID-19 outbreak revealed the need for responsive and effective public health communication. The SM can disseminate information from trusted sources, clinicians, but can be better utilized to deliver tailored information for specific patient populations.
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immediately impacted patient-clinician communication, particularly in the oncology setting. Relatedly, secure messaging (SM) usage greatly increased, yet it is unknown what was discussed and whether the technology was utilized to disseminate information. Aims: This study aimed at identifying the most frequently discussed topics using SM as well as at understanding how the communication process transpired during the early stages of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods design was utilized, consisting of a content analysis of more than 4,200 secure messages, aggregated into 1,454 patient-clinician discussions. Data were collected from February 2020 to May 2020. Discussions were from various oncology departments and included physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. Based on the identified categories, a thematic analysis was conducted to understand the nuances occurring within discussions. Results: Out of the 1,454 discussions, 26% (n = 373) related to COVID-19. Of the COVID-19 discussion, the most frequently coded category was "changes, adjustments, and re-arranging care" (65%, n = 241), followed by "risk for COVID-19" (24%, n = 90), "precautions inside the hospital" (18%, n = 66), and "precautions outside the hospital" (14%, n = 52). Natural language processing techniques were used to confirm the validity of the results. Thematic analysis revealed that patients were proactive in rescheduling appointments, expressed anxiety about being immunocompromised, and clinicians were uncertain about providing recommendations related to COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVID-19 outbreak revealed the need for responsive and effective public health communication. The SM can disseminate information from trusted sources, clinicians, but can be better utilized to deliver tailored information for specific patient populations.
Authors: Jordan M Alpert; Shu Wang; Carma L Bylund; Merry Jennifer Markham; Ragnhildur I Bjarnadottir; Ji-Hyun Lee; Jennifer Elston Lafata; Ramzi G Salloum Journal: Patient Educ Couns Date: 2020-11-21
Authors: Jason J Saleem; Jacob M Read; Boyd M Loehr; Kathleen L Frisbee; Nancy R Wilck; John J Murphy; Brian M Vetter; Jennifer Herout Journal: J Am Med Inform Assoc Date: 2020-08-01 Impact factor: 4.497
Authors: Jordan M Alpert; Chelsea N Hampton; Aantaki Raisa; Merry Jennifer Markham; Carma L Bylund Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2022-10-19 Impact factor: 3.359
Authors: Samantha R Paige; Gemme Campbell-Salome; Jordan Alpert; Merry Jennifer Markham; Martina Murphy; Eve Heffron; Chris Harle; Sijia Yue; Wei Xue; Carma L Bylund Journal: PLoS One Date: 2022-06-03 Impact factor: 3.752