Table 2.
Table 2 Perceptions of Wireless E-Mail Device Usability and Impact (n = 106)
| Survey Question | Response | Favorable Response (Number, %) |
|---|---|---|
| Device usefulness increases with use | 6 (5, 7) | 90 (85%) |
| Device is easy to use | 6 (5, 7) | 94 (89%) |
| Easy to keep track of device | 6 (4, 7) | 71 (67%) |
| Device is easy to keep clean | 4.5 (4, 6) | 59 (56%) |
| I had sufficient training | 5 (4, 6) | 53 (50%) |
| Improved speed of communication | 6 6,7 | 97 (92%) |
| Improved reliability of communication | 6 6,7 | 97 (92%) |
| Less effort required to communicate | 5 (3, 6) | 64 (60%) |
| Improved access to ICU team | 6 (5, 7) | 95 (90%) |
| Improved physician response times to routine issues | 6 (5, 7) | 91 (86%) |
| Improved physician response times to critical issues | 6 (5, 7) | 89 (84%) |
| I am less likely to delay contacting a physician | 6 (4.5, 7) | 78 (74%) |
| Improved nonphysician response times | 6 (5, 7) | 90 (85%) |
| Content of messages is useful | 6 (5, 7) | 93 (88%) |
| I resorted to overhead paging or numerical paging | 1 (1, 3) | 82 (77%) |
| Overall impact of wireless e-mail on communication | 6 (6, 7) | 94 (89%) |
| Improved job satisfaction | 6 (4, 6) | 78 (74%) |
| Improved my communication skills | 6 (5, 6) | 86 (81%) |
| Helped me take better care of my patients | 6 (5, 6) | 82 (77%) |
| Has made me more comfortable with using information technology for patient care | 5 (4, 6) | 65 (61%) |
| Has made my job less frustrating | 6 (4, 6) | 79 (75%) |
| Has a positive effect on team morale | 6 (4, 6) | 71 (67%) |
| Has enabled better coordination of ICU team members | 6 (5, 7) | 93 (88%) |
| Has enabled new ways of ICU team to work together | 6 (5, 6) | 80 (75%) |
| Has enabled greater awareness of ICU activity | 6 (4, 6) | 78 (74%) |
| Improved patient care | 6 (5, 6) | 94 (89%) |
| Improved patient safety | 6 (5, 6) | 80 (75%) |
| Enabled faster care | 6 (5, 7) | 95 (90%) |
| I would like to keep using wireless e-mail in the ICU | 7 (6, 7) | 92 (87%) |
| All physicians should use wireless e-mail | 6 (5, 7) | 90 (85%) |
Legend: Data are presented as median (interquartile range) on a 7-point Likert scale, with 7 indicating the highest degree of agreement or most favorable response, except for “Resorted to overhead paging or numerical paging”, where 7 indicates frequent use of paging. For each question, we calculated a p value (using the sign test) to test the null hypothesis that the median response equals 4, the neutral value on the Likert scale. All p values for these comparisons were < 0.001. A favorable response is defined as a Likert score of 5, 6 or 7, except for “Resorted to overhead paging or numerical paging” where it is defined as a Likert score of 1, 2, or 3.
ICU = intensive care unit.