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Patient behavior if given their surgeon's cellular telephone number
Kingsley R Chin1, Samuel B Adams, Lisa Khoury
1Division of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. kingsleychin@hotmail.com
Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research
|October 6, 2005
Summary
Patients desire direct surgeon communication via cell phone for urgent issues, enhancing the patient-physician relationship. This technology offers benefits, with most patients preferring direct contact for critical post-operative needs.
Area of Science:
- Medical Communication
- Patient-Doctor Relationship
- Surgical Care
Background:
- Technological advancements are impacting traditional patient-doctor interactions.
- The role of direct surgeon communication, particularly via mobile devices, remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess patient call patterns and attitudes regarding direct surgeon cell phone access.
- To determine the potential benefits of surgeons providing their cellular telephone numbers to patients.
Main Methods:
- Categorized postoperative calls (urgent/non-urgent) made to surgeons, secretaries, and schedulers.
- Administered a 10-question survey to 201 patients regarding attitudes towards direct surgeon access via cell phone.
Main Results:
- Only 18% of calls went directly to the surgeon, with 50% being urgent.
- 85% of patients surveyed would call their surgeon directly if given the number, and 72% felt it indicated a more caring physician.
- Patients preferred cell phone or nurse communication over email or home phone.
Conclusions:
- Patients desire direct communication with surgeons, especially for urgent matters.
- Providing surgeons' cell phone numbers can positively influence the patient-physician relationship.
- Cellular telephone access offers promising benefits for patient care and communication.