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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Health Informatics
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2024.1457848

Navigating the Wild West: A Review of Guidance on Clinical Communications using personal BYOD, IM and Third-Party Apps in the UK and Ireland

Provisionally accepted
Bernadette Angela John Bernadette Angela John 1*Ciara Heavin Ciara Heavin 2Anthony Roberts Anthony Roberts 1
  • 1 Cork University Dental School & Hospital, Cork, Ireland
  • 2 School of Business, College of Business and Law, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction The ubiquity of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) personal smartphones, Instant Messaging (IM), and third-party apps, has made these technologies compelling for efficient communications between clinicians regarding patient care. However, the sensitivity of patient-related information necessitates secure, GDPR compliant modalities that prevent unauthorised access and ensure confidentiality. This scoping review explores existing guidelines, policies, and regulations that advise clinicians in the UK and Ireland on the secure use of these digital communication tools. Methods Following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) updated Framework for Scoping Reviews and the PRISMA ScR guidelines, this review examines the literature to identify relevant guidelines, policies, and regulations informing current clinical practice on the use of this technology. Academic databases including OneSearch, Embase, EBSCO, PubMed, Medline, and CINAHL were searched, in addition to hand searches of professional entities' websites, including trade unions, regulators, two national health systems, and several employers. Direct inquiries were made to 69 professional entities via telephone, email, websites, and X (formerly known as Twitter). Results The review identified 18 papers that broadly recognise the importance of secure communication however, a lack of information on the appropriate selection or configuration of these popular technologies was evident. Most guidelines emphasise general security and data protection standards rather than providing clear actionable recommendations for technology use, thereby leaving a significant gap in technical guidance for clinicians. Discussion There is a distinct lack of detailed, specific, consistent technical guidance available to clinicians. This review evidences an urgent requirement for enhanced guidelines that specify the most secure platforms, appropriate features, and configuration to maximise the security and confidentiality of clinical communications. Further research is recommended to develop comprehensive, actionable advice for clinicians

    Keywords: Language style: British English IM and App use, Policy Adherence and training, GDPR -General Data Protection Regulation, Communication Best Practice, patient data security, Clinical Decision Support Systems, Electronic Health Records (EHR) Integration

    Received: 01 Jul 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 John, Heavin and Roberts. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bernadette Angela John, Cork University Dental School & Hospital, Cork, Ireland

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.