Access to the internet and mobile applications in a mixed population emergency department: A repeated cross-sectional survey

doi:10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100340

. 2024 Sep 12:5:100340.

doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100340. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

Access to the internet and mobile applications in a mixed population emergency department: A repeated cross-sectional survey

Shannon Toohey^{1

2}, Michelle T Nguyen², Soheil Saadat¹, Carrie E Chandwani^{1

2}, Stephen F Gassner^{1

2}, Alisa Wray^{1

2}, Ronald Rivera^{1

2}, Warren Wiechmann^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, 101 The City Dr S, Orange, CA 92868, USA.
² School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 1001 Health Sciences Rd, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.

PMID: 39314544
PMCID: PMC11418136
DOI: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100340

Access to the internet and mobile applications in a mixed population emergency department: A repeated cross-sectional survey

Shannon Toohey et al. PEC Innov. 2024.

. 2024 Sep 12:5:100340.

doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100340. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

Authors

Shannon Toohey^{1

2}, Michelle T Nguyen², Soheil Saadat¹, Carrie E Chandwani^{1

2}, Stephen F Gassner^{1

2}, Alisa Wray^{1

2}, Ronald Rivera^{1

2}, Warren Wiechmann^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, 101 The City Dr S, Orange, CA 92868, USA.
² School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 1001 Health Sciences Rd, Irvine, CA 92617, USA.

PMID: 39314544
PMCID: PMC11418136
DOI: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2024.100340

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess patients' interest in education content delivered through electronic modalities and identify trends in internet access and use among emergency department patients of various socioeconomic statuses.

Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional survey with 50 questions was completed by 241 English and Spanish-speaking patients in 2014 and repeated with 253 participants in 2019 at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center's Emergency Department (UCIMCED).

Results: Internet access increased from 83.8 % in 2014 to 88.1 % in 2019. Most internet-using patients owned smartphones (80.1 % in 2014, 89.7 % in 2019). Patients used electronic devices, such as fit bits and activity trackers, to obtain health information. Email was the preferred method for receiving discharge instructions.

Conclusions: As of 2019, 88.1 % of UCIMCED patients have access to the internet or email, making electronic media a reasonable venue for patient education. Given that we have a predominantly low-income patient population-61 % and 32 % of respondents in 2014 and 2019, respectively, reporting an income of less than $25,000-these results are provide new avenues to reach patients of all socioeconomic statuses.

Innovation: The implications of this study can be used to develop electronic resources tailored to educate emergency department patients about their healthcare beyond the confines of a hospital.

Keywords: Activity trackers; Doctor-patient communication; Electronic media; Internet access; Patient education; Smartphones.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Patient access to internet-based health information by topic.

**Fig. 2**
Percentage of patients that use various products to manage health and activity.

**Fig. 3**
Percentage of patients that felt comfortable communicating with a health care provider on electronic media in 2014 and 2019.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Engel K.G., Buckley B.A., Forth V.E., et al. Patient understanding of emergency department discharge instructions: where are knowledge deficits greatest? Acad Emerg Med. 2012;19(9):E1035–E1044. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01425.x. - DOI - PubMed
1. Zavala S., Shaffer C. Do patients understand discharge instructions? J Emerg Nurs. 2011;37(2):138–140. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2009.11.008. - DOI - PubMed
1. Lawrence L.M., Jenkins C.A., Zhou C., Givens T.G. The effect of diagnosis-specific computerized discharge instructions on 72-hour return visits to the pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2009;25(11):733–738. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3181bec817. - DOI - PubMed
1. Hill R.G., Jr., Sears L.M., Melanson S.W. 4000 clicks: a productivity analysis of electronic medical records in a community hospital ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2013;31(11):1591–1594. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.06.028. - DOI - PubMed
1. Bond M.C., Klemt R., Merlis J., Kopinski J.E., Hirshon J.M. Computer access and internet use by urban and suburban emergency department customers. J Emerg Med. 2012;43(1) doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2011.03.034. 159-5. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program

[1] Engel K.G., Buckley B.A., Forth V.E., et al. Patient understanding of emergency department discharge instructions: where are knowledge deficits greatest? Acad Emerg Med. 2012;19(9):E1035–E1044. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01425.x. - DOI - PubMed

[2] Engel K.G., Buckley B.A., Forth V.E., et al. Patient understanding of emergency department discharge instructions: where are knowledge deficits greatest? Acad Emerg Med. 2012;19(9):E1035–E1044. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2012.01425.x. - DOI - PubMed

[3] Zavala S., Shaffer C. Do patients understand discharge instructions? J Emerg Nurs. 2011;37(2):138–140. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2009.11.008. - DOI - PubMed

[4] Zavala S., Shaffer C. Do patients understand discharge instructions? J Emerg Nurs. 2011;37(2):138–140. doi: 10.1016/j.jen.2009.11.008. - DOI - PubMed

[5] Lawrence L.M., Jenkins C.A., Zhou C., Givens T.G. The effect of diagnosis-specific computerized discharge instructions on 72-hour return visits to the pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2009;25(11):733–738. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3181bec817. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Lawrence L.M., Jenkins C.A., Zhou C., Givens T.G. The effect of diagnosis-specific computerized discharge instructions on 72-hour return visits to the pediatric emergency department. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2009;25(11):733–738. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0b013e3181bec817. - DOI - PubMed

[7] Hill R.G., Jr., Sears L.M., Melanson S.W. 4000 clicks: a productivity analysis of electronic medical records in a community hospital ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2013;31(11):1591–1594. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.06.028. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Hill R.G., Jr., Sears L.M., Melanson S.W. 4000 clicks: a productivity analysis of electronic medical records in a community hospital ED. Am J Emerg Med. 2013;31(11):1591–1594. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2013.06.028. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Bond M.C., Klemt R., Merlis J., Kopinski J.E., Hirshon J.M. Computer access and internet use by urban and suburban emergency department customers. J Emerg Med. 2012;43(1) doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2011.03.034. 159-5. - DOI - PubMed

[10] Bond M.C., Klemt R., Merlis J., Kopinski J.E., Hirshon J.M. Computer access and internet use by urban and suburban emergency department customers. J Emerg Med. 2012;43(1) doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2011.03.034. 159-5. - DOI - PubMed

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Access to the internet and mobile applications in a mixed population emergency department: A repeated cross-sectional survey

Affiliations

Access to the internet and mobile applications in a mixed population emergency department: A repeated cross-sectional survey

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

Similar articles

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials