Just-in-Time Information Improved Decision-Making in Primary Care
Author Information
Author(s): McGowan Jessie, Hogg William, Campbell Craig, Rowan Margo
Primary Institution: Faculty of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
Hypothesis
Can a librarian consultation service quickly provide information to help primary care professionals answer their clinical questions during clinic hours?
Conclusion
Providing timely information to clinical questions had a highly positive impact on decision-making and a high approval rating from participants.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants rated 62.9% of information provided to intervention group questions as having a highly positive cognitive impact.
- 86% of participants scored the service as having a positive impact on care.
- 72% indicated they would use the service frequently if it were continued.
Takeaway
This study shows that having a librarian help doctors find answers to their questions quickly can make it easier for them to make good decisions for their patients.
Methodology
A randomized controlled trial was conducted where clinical questions were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (librarian information) or a control group (no librarian information).
Potential Biases
Participants were aware of whether they received a response, which could influence their survey responses.
Limitations
Participants were not followed up to determine how they used the time saved by the service.
Participant Demographics
Participants were mostly physicians (93.2%), with a similar percentage of males (51.1%) and females (48.9%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 13.38 to 13.98
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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