Automated intra-operative SMS message updates: a quality improvement initiative to relieve caregivers’ worries (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Undergoing a surgical procedure is anxiety provoking for patients and their caregivers. During the intra-operative period, caregivers seek out informational updates from healthcare professionals, a situation complicated by COVID-19 health measures that require caregivers to wait outside the hospital. SMS-based communication that allows caregivers to follow their loved ones through surgery has shown promise in relieving anxiety and improving satisfaction with overall care. This form of communication is also well accepted by healthcare professionals and may be effective at relieving staff burden. OBJECTIVE Here we describe a quality improvement initiative of a standardized and integrated intra-operative SMS-based system to improve communication between surgical teams and caregivers. The main goal was to reduce caregiver anxiety; secondary goals included improving satisfaction with care and not increasing staff burden. METHODS A large tertiary care hospital offered the SMS service to caregivers who were waiting for loved ones undergoing surgery. SMS messages were integrated into the clinical information system software and sent at key points during the surgical journey to phone numbers provided by caregivers. A satisfaction survey was sent to caregivers one business day after surgery. Data were collected between Feb 16th and July 14th 2021. RESULTS Of the 8,129 surgeries scheduled, caregivers waiting for 6,149 surgeries (76%) agreed to receive SMS messages. A total of 34,129 messages were sent. The satisfaction survey was completed by 2,088/6,149 or 34 % of caregivers. Satisfaction with messages was high, with the majority of respondents reporting the messages received were adequate (71%), clear (74%), informative (72%) and met their needs (60%). Receiving text messages reduced caregiver anxiety (score 8.5 out of 10) and the overall satisfaction score was high (4.5 out of 5). Technical errors were reported by 111 caregivers. Suggestions for improvements included having messages sent more often, providing greater patient detail and being offered in other languages. CONCLUSIONS This digital health initiative provided SMS messages that were standardized and systematically sent to caregivers waiting for their loved ones undergoing surgery. This in turn decreased caregiver anxiety, with no additional burden to staff. In creating digital healthcare innovations, what patients and their families find useful and appreciated will ultimately determine uptake. Thus, caregiver feedback will inform future iterations of this initiative.

Onto4AIR2: An ontology to manage theses from open repositories

This paper describes Onto4AIR2, an ontology to manage theses from open repositories, this fosters unique and formal definitions of concepts from the Mexican repositories domain in English and Spanish languages, its goal is to support the construction of machine-readable datasets that are semantically labeled for further consultations in educational organizations. The ontology instances are sample data of theses from the National Repository of Mexico, an initiative promoted by the National Council of Science and Technology. The paper describes advantages derived from the formalisms of the ontology, and describes an assessment technique where participants are developers and potential users. Developers followed a competency questions-based approach and determined that the ontology represents questions and answers using its terminology; whereas potential users participated in a satisfaction survey; the results showed a positive perception. At present, the level of the ontology is proof of concept.

Job Satisfaction of Arab Speech-Language Pathologists in Different Work Settings in Kuwait Using the Job Satisfaction Survey

Purpose: Job satisfaction impacts employee work performance, productivity, and retention. We investigated levels of job satisfaction among Arab speech-language pathologists (SLPs) across different work settings in Kuwait. The aims were to determine the differences between work settings for SLPs in terms of job satisfaction and the reasons behind SLPs' migration from one setting to another and to identify the variables that contribute significantly to job satisfaction in each work setting. Method: A 36-item Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) questionnaire was used to evaluate job satisfaction based on responses to a 6-point Likert-type scale distributed to SLPs across school, hospital, and private clinic settings. Overall JSS score and subscale category ratings were computed and compared between different work settings to assess the influence of variables such as pay, promotion, supervision, benefits, and nature of work on job satisfaction among SLPs working in Kuwait. Results: According to JSS normative data, the highest job satisfaction scores were obtained from SLPs working in private clinics, with average satisfaction scores among those working in government, school, and medical settings. The highest job satisfaction scores for supervision, coworkers, and nature of work subscale categories were similar for SLPs in each setting. The lowest satisfaction scores of subscale categories differed between settings: “promotion” in schools, “fringe benefits” in government medical settings, and “operating conditions” in private clinics. Conclusions: While the need exists to attract SLPs to work in government medical settings (hospitals and clinics) in Kuwait, increased opportunity for professional development courses that are relevant to the discipline, and improved communication among SLPs and departmental heads, is necessary to both attract and retain them. Changes in the government setting need to be made in order to prevent the migration of SLPs from government hospitals to private hospitals where they are desperately needed.

Implications of A Measurement Invariance Study by Age Cohorts for the Life Satisfaction Survey for Apostolic Women Religious (LSSAWR)

A measurement invariance study was performed on the Life Satisfaction Survey for Apostolic Women Religious (LSSAWR) across age cohorts to support its continued use to assess satisfaction with religious life across an individual sister’s life span, and to conduct intergenerational comparisons within and across congregations worldwide. Unfortunately, measurement invariance (MI) is often assumed rather than tested but is important to determine when comparisons are conducted across groups. Establishing MI produces confidence that the differences observed are a result of real differences between groups rather than a result of group membership. In general, the current study provides evidence that the LSSAWR is MI for life satisfaction across the Silent, Baby Boomer, and Generation X cohorts and should be robust to many types of analyses. Therefore, the continued use of the LSSAWR to provide feedback to individual Sisters and congregations of women religious regarding commitment to religious life and overall life satisfaction is supported. The most notable result was two of the five dimensions of the scale were statistically indistinguishable for the Silent generation, but not for the Baby Boomer or Generation X cohorts. This article discusses the importance of measurement invariance studies and implications for instruments used across the life span with items that could be age sensitive.   

Telemedicine in Hematology: Tool to Improve Access and Patient Satisfaction

Introduction: Telemedicine can transform the future of medicine, especially in rural settings by improving access to medical care. Here were present the patient satisfaction data from both telemedicine and regular visits in our Hematology & Oncology clinics. In Hematology, we have used tele medicine for sickle cell disease, benign hematology cases like iron deficiency, thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis etc., and in malignant hematology for new patient consults, toxicity checks, follow up of plasma cell disorders, chronic leukemias and low intensity chemotherapies. Methods: We retrospectively collected patient satisfaction survey data from March 2020 to April 2021 for both telemedicine and regular visits. The patients were allowed to give a score from 1 to 99 regarding their experience at visit. We collected data on the following: likelihood of recommending, care provider, access and overall assessment. Results: A total of 53 patient satisfaction survey were available for telemedicine and 462 for regular visits. Over 60 % of tele visits were non cancer related and 40% were cancer related. The average score for likelihood of recommending, care provider, access, and overall assessment for tele visit were 73.5, 41.5, 73.5 and 62 respectively. The average score for likelihood of recommending, care provider, access, and overall assessment for regular visit were 13.75, 7.5, 26.5, and 11 respectively. Conclusion: The patient satisfaction scores for likelihood of recommending, care provider, access and overall assessment were significantly better for tele visits compared to regular visits. Disclosures Master: Blue Bird Bio: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company.