Clinical application of an intelligent outbound call system in the closed-loop management of critical values for inpatients

Objective We sought to optimize inpatient critical value reporting using an intelligent voice outbound call system to improve the timeliness of notifications and efficiency of clinical acknowledgment as well as reduce management costs. Methods We collaborated across departments to redesign our critical value process. Critical values are divided into 2 classes based on clinical background, the extent of clinical occurrence, predictability, and the efficiency of timely clinical acknowledgment. An intelligent voice system was integrated with the hospital information system, laboratory information system, and internal hospital platform. Results The outbound call system placed calls for 61.68% of critical values, achieving a 78.63% success rate and 97.96% effectiveness rate. Manual phone notifications accounted for only 3.98%. The timely notification rate reached 95.47%, with a mean notification time of 12.36 minutes (95% CI, 11.92-12.79 minutes). The timely acknowledgment rate for critical values was 72.95%, with 46.24% of critical values being promptly addressed through clinical rapid acknowledgment (Network-Acknowledgment), 26.35% through the outbound call system (Outbound call-Acknowledgment), and 0.36% through manual phone-based communication (Manual telephone-Acknowledgment). Conclusions The application of the intelligent outbound call system in the closed-loop management of critical values substantially improved the timeliness of notifications and acknowledgment efficiency, reduced the workload of manual phone notifications, and achieved a fully paperless critical value management process. This system not only enhanced the hospital’s management level but also provided strong support for improving clinical diagnosis and treatment quality.