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Appl Clin Inform 2022; 13(02): 355-362
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1743561
Research Article

Improving Provisioning of an Inpatient Portal: Perspectives from Nursing Staff

Alice A. Gaughan
1   The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
,
Daniel M. Walker
1   The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
2   Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
,
Lindsey N. Sova
1   The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
,
Shonda Vink
3   The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, United States
,
Susan D. Moffatt-Bruce
4   Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
,
Ann Scheck McAlearney
1   The Center for the Advancement of Team Science, Analytics, and Systems Thinking in Health Services and Implementation Science Research (CATALYST), College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
2   Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States
› Author Affiliations
Funding This work was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grants R01HS024091, R21HS024767, and P30HS024379. While this research was funded by the AHRQ, the study sponsor had no involvement in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of this manuscript; or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
› Further Information
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Abstract

Background Inpatient portals are recognized to provide benefits for both patients and providers, yet the process of provisioning tablets to patients by staff has been difficult for many hospitals.

Objective Our study aimed to identify and describe practices important for provisioning an inpatient portal from the perspectives of nursing staff and provide insight to enable hospitals to address challenges related to provisioning workflow for the inpatient portal accessible on a tablet.

Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 210 nursing staff members across 26 inpatient units in six hospitals within The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) following the introduction of tablets providing access to an inpatient portal, MyChart Bedside (MCB). Interviews asked questions focused on nursing staffs' experiences relative to MCB tablet provisioning. Verbatim interview transcripts were coded using thematic analysis to identify factors associated with tablet provisioning. Unit provisioning performance was established using data stored in the OSUWMC electronic health record about provisioning status. Provisioning rates were divided into tertiles to create three levels of provisioning performance: (1) higher; (2) average; and (3) lower.

Results Three themes emerged as critical strategies contributing to MCB tablet provisioning success on higher-performing units: (1) establishing a feasible process for MCB provisioning; (2) having persistent unit-level MCB tablet champions; and (3) having unit managers actively promote MCB tablets. These strategies were described differently by staff from the higher-performing units when compared with characterizations of the provisioning process by staff from lower-performing units.

Conclusion As inpatient portals are recognized as a powerful tool that can increase patients' access to information and enhance their care experience, implementing the strategies we identified may help hospitals' efforts to improve provisioning and increase their patients' engagement in their health care.

Keywords

patient portals - electronic health record - inpatient portal

Protection of Human and Animal Subjects

The study was performed in compliance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, and was reviewed by the Ohio State University Institutional Review Board.




Publication History

Received: 26 October 2021

Accepted: 24 January 2022

Article published online:
13 April 2022

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