The use of asynchronous digital two-way communication between patients and healthcare professionals after hospital discharge: A scoping review.

Abstract

This scoping review aimed to identify and map how asynchronous digital two-way communication is used between patients and healthcare professionals after hospital discharge, as well as identify facilitators and barriers to implementation. Following the JBI guidance for scoping reviews, we searched seven databases on August 29, 2022. Rayyan was employed for screening the articles, and data were extracted using a predefined and iteratively modified data extraction tool. Facilitators and barriers were systematically categorized according to the domains and constructs of the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Forty articles were included, primarily published between 2012 and 2022 and from the USA. In the majority of articles (77.5 %), asynchronous digital two-way communication was a part of a larger eHealth intervention. Nurses were the healthcare professionals most frequently mentioned as answering patients' messages (35 %) with response times sparsely described, and varying between four hours and three days. Efforts done to implement asynchronous digital two-way communication were only mentioned in 37.5 % of the articles. Facilitators included easy access, convenience, less disturbance, shared expectations for use and communication with professionals familiar to the patient. Barriers involved fear of overlooking health issues, risk of answers being delayed, technical issues and unclear response times. There is a gap in the literature between studies that describe the use of asynchronous digital two-way communication after hospital discharge exhaustively and reports on facilitators and barriers to implementation. This scoping review serves as an overview of the current use of asynchronous digital two-way communication after hospital discharge and sheds light on facilitators and barriers to implementation pertinent to this specific period.