When caring for our patients, every moment is critical. Breaking down communication barriers can improve efficiency and increase collaboration, so valuable time can be spent determining and delivering the best care possible.
Epic Secure Chat combines speed and safety with HIPPA-compliant texting (unlike cell phone or WhatsApp). It is available system-wide for all patient care staff in ambulatory and inpatient workflows to quickly bring care teams together to coordinate patient care.
Visit the link to learn more: TCH Epic Clinical Communication
Dr. Lauren M. Hess, associate chief medical information officer, is leading the effort to help make communication easier for our system. “Getting Epic Secure Chat during the pandemic has been pivotal to safer messaging. Expanding the use of Secure Chat and sign-in functionality will be key to consolidating communication on one device and application for the entire system.”
Please follow these Epic Secure Chat best practices for alignment and effectiveness:
- Be quick, clear and detailed (Think SBAR)
- Attach the patient chart when messaging the care team
- Check receiver’s availability/status (out of office, do not disturb) before hitting send
- If your message is unread, call or escalate your message to another user instead
- Skip “Thank you” and “OK” texts – please use an emoji instead
The staff at North Austin Campus have quickly adopted Epic Secure Chat and have already seen the benefits of having the entire team embrace this communication tool.
Kaitlyn Rodriguez, RN, North Austin PFW: “I love it. We can communicate with our providers to get medications and referrals ready before a patient even leaves the exam room. So, it helps make everything move faster for our patients.”
Dr. JD Ortiz with Pediatric Hospital Medicine: “I had a family I was treating for a vertebral osteomyelitis but waiting on some biopsy samples to rule out Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. I was not only able to quickly message the on-call pathologist but also talk to the pathologist in charge of signing the final biopsy report. This allowed me to discharge the patient several days before the report was initially going to be read.”
Melissa Barber, RN Perioperative nurse manager: “Secure chat has given us the tools to communicate about a patient’s care. From our front desk letting our preoperative team know they have arrived to the preoperative RNs communicating with OR RNs about patients being delayed to the PACU messaging the anesthesia team for sign out. We are able to check-in with the house supervisor on bed availability and movement for patients and add in additional leadership if needed.”