title: Designing Asynchronous Communication Tools for Optimization of Patient-Clinician Coordination.
abstract: Asynchronous communication outside the clinical setting has both enriched and complicated patient-clinician interactions. Many patients can now interact with a patient portal 24 hours a day, asking questions of their clinicians via secure message, checking lab results, ordering medication refills, or making appointments. However, the mode of communication (asynchronous) and the nature of the interaction (lacking tone or body language) strip valuable information from each side of patient-clinician asynchronous communication. Using interviews with 34 individuals who actively manage a chronic illness of their own, or for a child or partner, we elicited narratives about patients' experiences and expectations for using asynchronous communication to address medical issues with their clinicians. Based on these perspectives, we present opportunities for designing asynchronous communication tools to better facilitate understanding of and coordination around care activities between patients and clinicians.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eschler
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Leslie S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Vizer
authors.affiliation: Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: McClure
authors.affiliation: Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: Group Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ralston
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D003142:Communication; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D000072638:Patient Portals; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D000073278:Self-Management