Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Apr 30, 2020
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 30, 2020 - Jun 25, 2020
Date Accepted: Nov 11, 2020
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Physiotherapists’ use of web-based information resources to fulfil their information needs during a theoretical exam: a randomized crossover trial.
ABSTRACT
Background:
The widespread availability of internet-connected smart devices in the healthcare setting has the potential to expedite the delivery of research evidence to the care-pathway and fulfil healthcare professionals’ information needs.
Objective:
The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the frequency with which healthcare professionals experience information needs, the capacity of digital information resources to fulfil these needs, and the specific types of resource they use to do so.
Methods:
Thirty-eight participants (all practising physiotherapists; 50% female) were randomly assigned to complete three 20-question multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) examinations under three conditions in a randomised crossover study design: (i) assisted by a web browser; (ii) assisted by a federated search portal system; (iii) unassisted. MCQ scores, times and the frequencies of information needs were recorded for overall exam-level and individual question-level analyses. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess differences between conditions for the primary outcomes. Log file analysis was conducted to evaluate participants’ online search and retrieval behaviours.
Results:
Participants experienced an information need in 55% of MCQs and exhibited a mean improvement of between 10% and 16% in overall exam score for the federated search and web browser conditions, respectively, compared with the unassisted condition (P < 0.0005). Google was the most popular as both a directory and a resource in the web browser condition (accounting for 64% of all ‘hits’), with Wikipedia and PubMed the next most popular resources similarly popular between the federated portal system and the web browser condition.
Conclusions:
The results of this study are in agreement with prior research that healthcare professionals frequently experience information needs and provide new insights into the preferred digital information resources used to fulfil these needs. Future research should clarify the implications of professionals’ apparent high reliance on Google for clinical practice, whether these results reflect the authentic clinical environment, and if fulfilling clinical information needs alters practice behaviours and/or improves patients’ outcomes. Clinical Trial: This trial was not pre-registered as it does not include a patient population.
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