@Article{info:doi/10.2196/57470,
author="Lee, Jongchan
and Ahn, Soyeon
and Ohn, Jung Hun
and Kim, Eun Sun
and Lim, Yejee
and Kim, Hye Won
and Park, Hee-Sun
and Cho, Jae Ho
and Kim, Sun-wook
and Ryu, Jiwon
and Kim, Jihye
and Jang, Hak Chul
and Kim, Nak-Hyun",
title="Effect of SMS Ward Round Notifications on Inpatient Experience in Acute Medical Settings: Retrospective Cohort Study",
journal="JMIR Hum Factors",
year="2025",
month="Mar",
day="12",
volume="12",
pages="e57470",
keywords="rounds; round-time notification; text messaging; patient experience assessment; patient experiences; patient-centeredness; patient participation",
abstract="Background: Ward rounds are an essential component of inpatient care. Patient participation in rounds is increasingly encouraged, despite the occasional complicated circumstances, especially in acute care settings. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of real-time ward round notifications using SMS text messaging on the satisfaction of inpatients in an acute medical ward. Methods: Since January 2021, a service implementing real-time ward round notifications via text messaging (WR-SMS) has been operational at a tertiary-care medical center in Korea. To assess its impact, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the acute medical unit who participated in a patient experience survey. Patient satisfaction was compared between patients admitted in 2020 (pre--WR-SMS group) and 2021 (post--WR-SMS group). Results: From January 2020 to December 2021, a total of 100 patients were enrolled (53 patients in the pre--WR-SMS group and 47 patients in the post--WR-SMS group). Compared with the pre--WR-SMS group, the post--WR-SMS group showed significantly greater satisfaction about being informed about round schedules (mean 3.43, SD 0.910 vs mean 3.89, SD 0.375; P<.001) and felt more emotionally supported during admission (mean 3.49, SD 0.800 vs mean 3.87, SD 0.397; P<.001). Regarding other questionnaire scores, the post--WR-SMS group showed an overall, although statistically insignificant, improvement compared with the pre--WR-SMS group. Conclusions: Real-time round notifications using a user-friendly SMS may improve inpatient satisfaction effectively. ",
issn="2292-9495",
doi="10.2196/57470",
url="https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e57470",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/57470"
}