Electronic messaging between primary and secondary care: a four-year case report

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Communication
• Diabetes Management

Background:

• Electronic messaging facilitates communication between hospital consultants and general practitioners (GPs).
• Previous studies indicated initial success in integrating electronic messages into GP records for diabetes care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term evolution of electronic messaging between a hospital consultant and GPs over three years post-study.
• To assess changes in message integration into GP electronic medical records.

Main Methods:

• A case report methodology was employed to track electronic messages over three years.
• Message volume and integration rates into GP electronic medical record systems were quantified.
• General practitioners completed a questionnaire after the observation period.

Main Results:

• The volume of electronic messages remained consistent throughout the three-year follow-up period.
• While initial integration rates increased during the original study, seven GPs ceased integrating data post-study.
• Significant variation existed in message integration practices among the 15 participating GP practices.

Conclusions:

• Extrapolating initial findings would have been misleading due to subsequent changes in GP practices.
• Despite stable message volume, a majority of GPs altered their data integration methods, with over 50% stopping data copying.
• The majority of general practitioners expressed a desire to increase their use of electronic messaging for patient care.