Tang P et al. 1995 "Methods for assessing information needs of clinicians in ambulatory care."
Reference
Tang P, Jaworski M, Fellencer C, et al. Methods for assessing information needs of clinicians in ambulatory care. Nineteenth Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care; 1995; Philadelphia, PA; 1995. p. 630-634.
Abstract
"Clinical information systems that provide physicians with relevant information at the time and place where decisions are being made can positively affect the quality and cost of health care. We have developed an assessment methodology to study clinicians' information needs in the context of the workflow and operational constraints of the ambulatory care practice environment. We employed a combination of methods, including observational studies, process flowcharting, semi-structured interviews and surveys to comprehensively define clinicians' needs. The results from our study point to functional requirements not commonly found in hospital-based systems, such as access to problem lists and medications, computer-based support for health-care team communications, and patient-specific instructions and education."
Objective
To develop "an assessment methodology to study clinicians' information needs in the context of the workflow and operational constraints of the ambulatory care practice environment, [employing] a combination of methods, including observational studies, process flowcharting, semi-structured interviews and surveys to comprehensively define clinicians' needs."
Tools Used
Type Clinic
Primary care
Type Specific
Internal medicine
Size
Large
Geography
Urban
Other Information
The study took place in the General Internal Medicine (GIM) Clinic of a large faculty group practice.
Type of Health IT
Electronic health records (EHR)
Workflow-Related Findings
"Difficulty finding patient information (e.g., problem lists and medication lists), ineffective communication among health care team members, inadequate computer resources, and unavailable or inconvenient access to patient education materials were among the top issues identified."
"Analysis of the relatively poor satisfaction with current computer resources ... suggest that insufficient number of computers, lack of training, lack of technical support, and poor ease-of-use all contribute to the poor rating."
Study Design
Story
Study Participants
Providers and staff at the GIM clinic participated.