Title
The impact of mobile technology on teamwork and communication in hospitals: a systematic review.
Abstract
Objectives Effective communication is critical to the safe delivery of care but is characterized by outdated technologies. Mobile technology has the potential to transform communication and teamwork but the evidence is currently uncertain. The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the quality and breadth of evidence for the impact of mobile technologies on communication and teamwork in hospitals. Materials and Methods Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, HMIC, Cochrane Library, and National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment) were searched for English language publications reporting communication- or teamwork-related outcomes from mobile technologies in the hospital setting between 2007 and 2017. Results We identified 38 publications originating from 30 studies. Only 11% were of high quality and none met best practice guidelines for mobile-technology-based trials. The studies reported a heterogenous range of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods outcomes. There is a lack of high-quality evidence, but nonetheless mobile technology can lead to improvements in workflow, strengthen the quality and efficiency of communication, and enhance accessibility and interteam relationships. Discussion This review describes the potential benefits that mobile technology can deliver and that mobile technology is ubiquitous among healthcare professionals. Crucially, it highlights the paucity of high-quality evidence for its effectiveness and identifies common barriers to widespread uptake. Limitations include the limited number of participants and a wide variability in methods and reported outcomes. Conclusion Evidence suggests that mobile technology has the potential to significantly improve communication and teamwork in hospital provided key organizational, technological, and security challenges are tackled and better evidence delivered.
Year
DOI
Venue
2019
10.1093/jamia/ocy175
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL INFORMATICS ASSOCIATION
Keywords
Field
DocType
medical informatics,communication,hospitals,smartphone
Mobile technology,Teamwork,Knowledge management,Medicine
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
26
4
1067-5027
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.37
8
Authors
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Guy Martin110.37
Ankur Khajuria210.37
Sonal Arora311.38
Dominic King411.05
Hutan Ashrafian521.67
Ara Darzi649658.41