P4914 - Patient Portal Secure Messaging System (Electronic Medical Record Messaging): Perception and Usage Among Gastroenterologists

Blanche Echikunwoke, MBBS¹, Otoniel Ysea Hill, MD¹, Shannon B. Fernando, ², Oluwanifemi Balogun, MD¹, Jordan Carty, MD¹, Gordon Heller, DO¹, Prutha Shah, DO³, Irhoboudu Atogwe, MD¹, Hamza Tahir, MBBS, MD⁴, Mikaela Nikkola Jara-Tantoco, MD¹, Richard Kalman, MD^3
1Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA; ²Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA; ³Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia, PA; ⁴Jefferson Einstein Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Introduction: Patient portal secure messaging (PPSM) systems, enable direct communication between patients and providers. Studies on patients' experiences with PPSM have reported positive outcomes. However, mixed results have been published on physician user experiences with concerns about increased workload and negative impact on physician wellness. With the expanding scope and increasing demand for gastroenterology (GI) procedures, GI providers face unique barriers to managing PPSM messages when compared to other less procedure-intensive specialties. This could negatively impact wellness and contribute to GI provider burnout. While previous studies have evaluated PPSM use among general physicians, none have specifically investigated its use among GI providers. This study aims to assess PPSM workload, management and impact on wellness among GI providers.

Methods: A 60-item survey questionnaire was emailed to 20 GI providers and 33 non-GI providers (Primary Care Physicians and Hospitalists). Data collection utilized Redcap, while data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29. Frequency and descriptive statistics were generated, and a comparative analysis among provider groups was executed using a Chi-square test.</span>

Results: The Questionnaire Response rate was 100% for GI providers and 62% for non-GI-providers. The results are shown in Table 1.

Discussion: Based on the results, both GI and non-GI providers face similarly high PPSM volumes with 55% and 44% of respondents receiving 1-5 PPSM messages/day, respectively, while 25% of GI providers and 25.1% of non-GI providers receive >10 messages/day. Despite receiving similar message volumes, GI providers spent more time on average resolving messages (65% of GI providers take 2-3hrs/day compared to 62.5% of non-GI providers taking < 1hr). Although GI providers spend more time resolving messages, they respond to messages within 24 hours at a higher rate than non-GI providers (55% vs 50%). With high PPSM volumes and high procedural demands, GI providers face unique challenges to match the patient response rate of their peers. This survey reports that 85% of GI providers work on their PPSM messages after-hours when compared to 62.5% of non-GI providers. The disproportionate PPSM burden on GI providers is also reflected by 45% of GI-respondents compared to 18.8% of non-GI respondents reporting a negative effect on wellness. This highlights the need for protected time to manage PPSM for GI physicians to preserve wellness and maintain workflow.


Disclosures:


Blanche Echikunwoke, MBBS¹, Otoniel Ysea Hill, MD¹, Shannon B. Fernando, ², Oluwanifemi Balogun, MD¹, Jordan Carty, MD¹, Gordon Heller, DO¹, Prutha Shah, DO³, Irhoboudu Atogwe, MD¹, Hamza Tahir, MBBS, MD⁴, Mikaela Nikkola Jara-Tantoco, MD¹, Richard Kalman, MD³. P4914 - Patient Portal Secure Messaging System (Electronic Medical Record Messaging): Perception and Usage Among Gastroenterologists, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.