Background: Experts identify empathic responses to patient expressions of negative emotion – such as anxiety, sadness, and anger – as a key component of patient-centered communication, yet evidence on the impact of empathy on patient-reported outcomes in the hospital is limited. Methods: Our study objective was to assess the association between hospitalists’ expressions of empathy [...]

Background: Experts identify empathic responses to patient expressions of negative emotion – such as anxiety, sadness, and anger – as a key component of patient-centered communication, yet evidence on the impact of empathy on patient-reported outcomes in the hospital is limited. Methods: Our study objective was to assess the association between hospitalists’ expressions of empathy [...]

Background: Communicating to physicians about electronic health record (EHR) software updates is important for maintaining clinical workflow and preserving patient safety. However, reaching providers with mass e-mails is challenging; the optimal strategy for educating providers about EHR updates remains unclear. Purpose: Modify our communication strategy to improve inpatient physicians’ understanding of EHR software updates. Description: [...]

Background: Hospitals around the country are facing patient flow issues. Late discharges on the inpatient floors are thought to contribute to overcrowding in the emergency department and increased evening admissions (Wertheimer, 2014). This can lead to decreased quality of care, patient satisfaction, and increased length of stay. Some hospitals have attempted to promote early discharges [...]

Background:   Academic medical centers are complex healthcare delivery systems that are quickly adopting electronic health records (EHR) nationwide while still using alpha-numeric paging for physicians-in-training raised with cell phones, texting, messaging, and newer technologies.  Understanding workflow processes for these providers of patient care are key to finding solutions to improve healthcare quality and safety.   [...]

Background: Despite advances in communication technology, alphanumeric paging remains a mainstay of hospital communication. High paging volume can lead to disruptions in clinical work. In this study, we sought to evaluate both the frequency and the content of paging messages from nurses to physicians. We subsequently implemented interventions aimed at decreasing unnecessary pages.   Methods: [...]

Background: As generalist physicians on the frontlines of hospital care for seriously ill patients across the country, hospitalists are optimally positioned to lead discussions regarding serious illness. Little is known about hospitalists’ confidence in serious illness communication, or the barriers that limit their engagement. Methods: To assess perspectives on serious illness communication, we surveyed hospitalists [...]

Background: Hospital readmissions among HIV positive patients are high, and reducing 30-day readmissions is a priority of health systems and payers. Improved communication in the hospital may help decrease readmissions. Our objective was to determine the association between satisfaction with provider communication and 30-day readmissions among HIV positive patients. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis [...]

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) has been shown to be an important tool for improving patient engagement and health care outcomes. Despite the demonstrated value of SDM across disciplines, little is known about how to increase SDM in general inpatient settings. We sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational bundle on inpatient resident teams’ abilities [...]

Background: Team-based approaches have been broadly promoted to improve healthcare delivery in the U.S. However, few studies have analyzed the complexities of team-based communication in the current healthcare delivery landscape of increasing electronic health record (EHR) use and the rapidly evolving EHR functionalities. Major hurdles to studying effective communication within and between healthcare teams include: [...]