Introduction
Incomplete, fragmented and disorganized clinical communications contribute to the bulk of medical errors during patient management [1]. Traditional methods of communications that rely on face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations and alphanumeric paging systems have reported adverse events in patient care [1]. Better reliable, accurate and efficient communication methods are required for acute situations such as to summon a clinician at patient’s bedside or reporting critical test results [2].
Clinical communications have been revolutionized with the proliferation of innovative and versatile sophisticated communication gadgets, like smart-phones, allowing speedy internet connectivity for instant access to vast amounts of medical information, including imaging results, laboratory tests, clinical practice guidelines and drug reference guides [1], [3].
The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Observatory for e-Health (GOe) defined m-Health or mobile health as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices [4]. The dawn of m-Health facilitates new horizon of clinical communication through communication tools like Line, WeChat, Tango, Viber or WhatsApp, allowing healthcare professionals to interact fast and efficiently for effective patient management. WhatsApp (WhatsApp Inc., Mountain View CA), an app compatible in smartphones allow users to text messages and media content via videos, voice messages or photographs to their contacts. It facilitates creation of group chats, allowing multiple users to participate, monitor and reply to conversations. WhatsApp utilizes cellular data plans and wireless Internet networks with an annual subscription fee of $0.99.
There are approximately five billion mobile phone subscriptions globally, with over 85% being covered by commercial wireless signal [5]. In Malaysia the usage of smart phones is estimated to be 63%. WhatsApp, a cross-platform app being compatible in all smart-phone platforms like Android, iPhone and Windows mobile has approximately 500 million users worldwide [6]. Malaysians are the third leading global mobile internet population using WhatsApp as a communication tool [7]. Studies report the ownership of smart-phones amongst healthcare professionals for clinical communication range between 60 and 80% [3], [8].
Clinical communications amongst multidisciplinary teams are often obtunded around decision making, autonomy and role enactment as a result from hierarchical structure of the medical system, impeding collegial communication and compromising patient care [9]. A recent report concluded that general and orthopedic surgeons perceive WhatsApp as an intra-departmental tool for quality improvement innovations of patient care, overcoming gaps of professional autonomy, establishing excellent clinical communication and handovers between surgical teams [6], [8]. After an extensive literature search, to date, there has not been a published study which evaluated the use of WhatsApp in medical teams. This preliminary investigation aimed to explore perceived benefits of WhatsApp use amongst general and emergency medical teams.