Barnett GO et al. 2004 "Overcoming information overload: an information system for the primary care physician."
Reference
Barnett GO, Barry MJ, Robb-Nicholson C, et al. Overcoming information overload: an information system for the primary care physician. Stud Health Technol Inform 2004;107 Pt 1:273-276.
Abstract
"[The software] is a Web-based intranet application that provides ready access to a collection of information useful in primary care. The...Web site was developed by, and is widely used within, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and its affiliated community practices. Over 1600 users logged 60,000 separate sessions in the past year. The site contains clinical practice guidelines, patient educational material, drug prescription and cost information and referral information, all designed for use during routine patient care activity. A continuing and dynamic collaboration between the users and developers of the system, just-in-time access and a "one-stop portal" to a variety of resources have resulted in a very high approval rating by the users. This paper discusses the important characteristics of the Web site, specific functions that improve the workflow of the practicing clinician, and limitations of the present implementation."
Objective
To "[discuss] the important characteristics of the Web site, specific functions that improve the workflow of the practicing clinician, and limitations of the present implementation."
Tools Used
Size
Large
Other Information
The study was conducated at Massachusetts General Hospital in the general medicine unit.
Type of Health IT
Informational resource
Type of Health IT Functions
The software is a Web site containing the following: primary care guidelines, patient educational materials, drug formularies for each insurance plan, drug information, how to perform administrative procedures, useful forms, medical calculators, contact information and scheduling protocols for specialists and specific units, alerts (such as FDA alerts), links to external sites, and search functions.
Workflow-Related Findings
"At present, the site averages over 25,000 page hits/week. Out of 257 MGH [primary care providers] PCP's, only 49 have used the system less than 10 times in this calendar year."
"The popularity of the formulary is related in part to easy access to the timely insurance coverage information."
In 2003, 70 percent of physician respondents said that the software was "Very useful-it helps me give much better patient care" and 63 percent said that it "saved 10+ minutes/day" and 30 percent said "it save[d] 25-30 minutes per/day."
The authors believe the acceptance of the Web site is related to the fact that "It provides 'one-stop shopping' -- a portal to both educational resources and workflow support."
"The material in [the software] is selected and created by the physicians who are intimately familiar with the problems and the need for specific information. The authors of the material in [the software] have a strong commitment to evidence-based research and attempt to create material that has a documented evidence base. The collaboration between the authors/editors of the content and the users is a key element in both the relevance and the validity. We have spent considerable effort in designing and indexing the content so that access is relatively simple and fast. In addition, the workflow support and easy access to administrative resources has been critical in achieving actual savings in time as a result of using the application."
Study Design
Only postintervention (no control group)
Study Participants
The study participants included 257 primary care providers.