Use of Instant Messaging Software in a German Hospital—An Exploratory Investigation among Physicians
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants and Procedure
2.2. Exploratory Questionnaire
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Usage of Instant Messaging Software
3.2. Specific Use of Instant Messaging Software in Clinical Practice
3.2.1. Purpose of Use
3.2.2. Interlocutors
3.2.3. Sent Information
3.2.4. Group Chat Usage
3.2.5. Perceived Advantages and Barriers of Instant Messaging Software in Clinical Practice
3.2.6. Usage Evaluation
3.3. Self-Reported Need for Media Competence Development
4. Discussion
4.1. General Discussion
4.2. Strengths and Limitations
4.3. Further Implications
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
No. | Question | Possible Answer |
---|---|---|
1 | How do you mainly communicate with your colleagues in your daily clinical routine? | Telephone|E-mail|Communication apps|Direct personal contact|SMS|Other |
2 | Do you use one or more of the following communication apps privately? | WhatsApp|Signal|Telegram|Snapchat|Discord|Facebook Messenger|Skype|Slack|Viber|Microsoft Teams|Threema|Ginglo (SIMSme)|Wire|WeChat|Line|Siilo|Zoom|Mattermost|Matrix|Other|I don’t use any communication apps |
3 | Do you use one or more of the following communication apps in your daily clinical routine? | WhatsApp|Signal|Telegram|Snapchat|Discord|Facebook Messenger|Skype|Slack|Viber|Microsoft Teams|Threema|Ginglo (SIMSme)|Wire|WeChat|Line|Siilo|Zoom|Mattermost|Matrix|Other|I don’t use any communication apps |
4 | Please indicate how many messages you send on average via communication apps in your daily clinical routine. | none|0–10|11–20|21–30|31–40|41–50| > 50 |
5 | Please indicate how many messages you receive on average via communication apps in your daily clinical routine. | none|0–10|11–20|21–30|31–40|41–50| > 50 |
6 | Do you use communication apps in clinical situations to
| 5-Point scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” |
7 | What do you use communication apps for in your daily clinical routine? | Free text answer |
8 | With whom do you communicate via communication apps in the daily clinic routine? | Free text answer |
9 | In which situations do you use communication apps in your daily clinical routine? | Free text answer |
10 | Are you in one or more communication apps in a “group” that primarily consists of a work team? (e.g., “ENT doctors ward...”; “Stroke Unit Team”;...) | yes/no |
11 | In how many clinic-related “groups” are you in the communication app? | Number |
12 | I communicate regularly in clinic-related |
|
13 | I communicate via communication apps with
| very rarely|rarely|occasionally|often|very often |
14 | What types of clinical information do you ever put on communication apps for clinical purposes? (You can choose more than 1 response) |
|
15 | I have sent the following other clinical information via a communication app | Free text answer |
16 | What do you see as the benefits of using communication apps in your daily clinical practice? | Free text answer |
17 | What challenges do you see in using communication apps in everyday clinical practice? | Free text answer |
18 | How do you evaluate the use of communication apps in everyday clinical practice? | Free text answer |
19 | What support requirements do you see for yourself personally with regard to your own digital media competence? | Free text answer |
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Item | Possible Answers |
---|---|
How do you mainly communicate with your colleagues in your daily clinical routine? | Telephone|E-mail|Communication apps|Direct personal contact|SMS|Other |
Do you use one or more of the following communication apps privately|in your daily clinical routine? | WhatsApp|Signal|Telegram|Snapchat|Discord|Facebook Messenger|Skype|Slack|Viber|Microsoft Teams|Threema|Ginglo (SIMSme)|Wire|WeChat|Line|Siilo|Zoom|Mattermost|Matrix|Other|I don’t use any communication apps |
Please indicate how many messages you send|receive on average via communication apps in your daily clinic routine. | none|0–10|11–20|21–30|31–40|41–50| > 50 |
Do you use communication apps in clinical situations to
| 5-Point scale from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree” |
What do you see as the benefits|challenges of using communication apps in your daily clinical practice? | free text answer |
No. | Question | Possible Answer | N = x/70 |
---|---|---|---|
Q7. | What do you use communication apps for in your daily clinical routine? | Free text answer | 45 |
Q8. | With whom do you communicate via communication apps in the daily clinic routine? | Free text answer | 42 |
Q9. | In which situations do you use communication apps in your daily clinical routine? | Free text answer | 33 |
Q15. | I have sent the following other clinical information via a communication app | Free text answer | 7 |
Q16. | What do you see as the benefits of using communication apps in your daily clinical practice? | Free text answer | 50 |
Q17. | What challenges do you see in using communication apps in everyday clinical practice? | Free text answer | 51 |
Q18. | How do you evaluate the use of communication apps in everyday clinical practice? | Free text answer | 49 |
Q19. | What support requirements do you see for yourself personally with regard to your own digital media competence? | Free text answer | 34 |
Functionality | Functions | No Benefits | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Code | x/50 | Code | x/50 | Code | x/50 |
fast | 27 | exchange with colleagues | 8 | unnecessary/none | 10 |
uncomplicated/simple | 12 | accessibility of a group | 7 | distracting | 3 |
asynchronous response option | 9 | Video telephony | 7 | ||
with high availability | 7 | sending pictures | 6 | ||
Bridging of spatial distance | 4 | Share screen | 5 | ||
effective | 4 | memory for information | 4 | ||
reliable | 3 | Sending text | 3 | ||
less disturbing | 3 | Transmission of findings | 3 | ||
interdisciplinary exchange | 2 | ||||
accessibility of the background service | 2 |
Document Number | Segment | Code/Sub Code |
---|---|---|
131 | “Good should be made more” | positive |
44 | “Practical and labor saving when used professionally” | positive/helpful |
oa_132 | “Helpful and time efficient” | positive/time efficient |
oa_37 | “Meanwhile indispensable” | positive/necessary |
27 | “not very relevant at the moment” | neutral |
86 | “neutral” | neutral |
31 | “Great potential, but currently critical due to lack of software adapted to legal framework conditions and lack of implementation by management level --> Frequently either (data protection) legally critical use or corresponding restraint and non-use.” | neutral/not yet relevant critical/should make employer safe critical/should be safe (data protection) |
119 | “If there was a secure app established at Charité, I would like to use the path more and see great potential here.” | neutral/perspective relevant critical/should be safe (data protection) |
oa_75 | “Critical, it is essential that patient rights and data protection are preserved.” | critical/should be safe (data protection), |
99 | “additional channel that needs to be “checked”” | negative |
“bad” | negative |
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Share and Cite
Sayegh-Jodehl, S.; Mukowski-Kickhöfel, R.; Linke, D.; Müller-Birn, C.; Rose, M. Use of Instant Messaging Software in a German Hospital—An Exploratory Investigation among Physicians. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 12618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912618
Sayegh-Jodehl S, Mukowski-Kickhöfel R, Linke D, Müller-Birn C, Rose M. Use of Instant Messaging Software in a German Hospital—An Exploratory Investigation among Physicians. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(19):12618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912618
Chicago/Turabian StyleSayegh-Jodehl, Sabine, Rebecca Mukowski-Kickhöfel, Diane Linke, Claudia Müller-Birn, and Matthias Rose. 2022. "Use of Instant Messaging Software in a German Hospital—An Exploratory Investigation among Physicians" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 19: 12618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912618
APA StyleSayegh-Jodehl, S., Mukowski-Kickhöfel, R., Linke, D., Müller-Birn, C., & Rose, M. (2022). Use of Instant Messaging Software in a German Hospital—An Exploratory Investigation among Physicians. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12618. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912618