Texting a preferred data sharing tool among residents, despite security concerns

A majority of US physician residents responding to a recent survey said they prefer texting to other hospital communication channels, citing ease of use and efficiency gains.

72 percent of 131 respondents viewed texting as the optimum communication method; 82.5 percent of respondents, however, said they consider paging systems as the most secure. Just 20.6 percent said they view digital messaging as a secure communication.

Despite such concerns, however, most residents reported sharing patient data via texts, with 70.9 percent receiving identifier data, 81.7 percent receiving patient initials, and 50.4 percent receiving a patient's medical record number through text.

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