International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care
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Int J Qual Health Care · Oct 2021
Effect of a waiting room communication strategy on imaging rates and awareness of public health messages for low back pain.
Few studies have investigated the effects of waiting room communication strategies on health-care behavior. ⋯ A communication strategy displayed in the ED waiting room may slightly reduce the proportion of patients with low back pain who receive lumbar imaging, although there is uncertainty due to imprecision. The campaign did not appear to increase awareness of campaign messages or affect patient satisfaction in a sample of patients presenting to the ED for any reason. Larger studies should investigate whether simple, low-cost waiting room communication strategies can raise awareness of unnecessary healthcare and influence health-care quality.