title: An analysis of inpatient nursing communications needs.
abstract: The health care environment is communications and information intensive. Nurses especially have communications as part of their routine activities, yet little is known about specific nursing communications needs and technologies that might address these needs. This project analyzed the specific communications needs of nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA, through focus group meetings, nursing staff interviews, and direct observation of unit communications. Based on these data, an ideal requirements list for a nursing communication system was created. Data were also gathered and analyzed from units piloting cell phones as nursing communications tools. On non-cell phone units we found that the bulk of communication activity is from the front desk operations associate to the nurse through a sub-optimal overhead paging system that is often unclear or inaudible. The pilot of cellular phones has demonstrated improvements in nursing communications at MGH and there are indications that other emerging technologies will be better able to address the ideal communication needs of nurses.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Informatics R&D, Partners HealthCare, Boston, MA 02481, USA. dtaylor7@partners.org
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coakley
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reardon
authors.forename: Gilad J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kuperman
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D001900:Boston; D040421:Cell Phone; D003142:Communication; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D017144:Focus Groups; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010865:Pilot Projects