Enabling Nurse-Patient Communication With a Mobile App: Controlled Pretest-Posttest Study With Nurses and Non-English-Speaking Patients.
David Silvera-Tawil, Courtney Pocock, DanaKai Bradford and 4 others
PMID 34406964WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses using a phrase app with images and audio for non-English-speaking patients rated interactions as more successful and felt more confident, and reported less frustration, than when they did not use it.
Interviewed patients found it helpful, but the study was observational.
Key findings
01When nurses used the app, staff-rated confidence and success were significantly higher than when it was not used either before or after the app was introduced.
0293% of staff participants (28/30) said the app was useful, and 86% (6/7) of interviewed patients said it was useful and helped them understand their nurse and be understood.
03The app was used in 71 of 208 observed interactions, and interactions were significantly longer when the app was used (mean 205.56 seconds) than without it after introduction (mean 100.10 seconds).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study did not randomise nurses to use the app, so differences between app and no-app interactions may reflect which patients or staff used it, not the app itself. Staff outcomes were self-reported immediately after observations, and no validated usability or acceptance scale was used. Only 7 patients were interviewed, so patient views cannot be treated as a tested effect on patient outcomes. The app was new and available on only four wards at one health service, so familiarity and local setup may have influenced use. iPad location affected use; when stored away nurses forgot or had no time, and bedside placement improved access. The app was not designed for cognitive impairment, and some patients had difficulty with long sentences; it may not work for all patients. The app was one of several communication methods used alongside gestures, family members, bilingual nurses, and interpreters, so its separate contribution cannot be isolated.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher staff ratings as proof that the app improves patient care or safety. Nurses were not randomised to use it, the study relied on self-reported staff ratings, and patient evidence came from only 7 interviews.