Pilot study of a web-based antibiotic decision management guide

• HIT Description: Decision support, Mobile computing More info...
  
• Purpose of Study: To determine the impact of physician use of a PDA loaded with an antibiotics guide
  
• Years of study: 2001-2002
  
• Study Design: Randomized controlled trial
  
• Outcomes: Impact on health care effectiveness and quality
  

• Settings: Trauma center at University of Maryland hospital
• Intervention: Johns Hopkins Antibiotics Guide provided peer-reviewed infectious disease management guidelines via PDA at the point of care
• Evaluation Method: 6 month randomized pilot study of 12 trauma and critical care fellows. Outcomes were antibiotic decision accuracy as well as 3 and 6 month examination scores on knowledge of infectious disease management
• Description: The electronic Johns Hopkins Antibiotic Guide (JHABX) was loaded on Blackberry PDAs. The program has 3 modules: diagnosis, pathogen, and antibiotic. Serial updates were available on demand and transmitted through the bi-directional wireless Mobitex network
• Quality of Care and Patient Safety Outcome: Antibiotic decision accuracy in the intervention group improved significantly, from 66% during the initial 3 months to 86.6% in the following 3 months. The group also improved their infectious disease exam scores significantly from baseline to month 3, and from month 3 to month 6. There was no notable improvement in the control groups.