Interpretation of clinical guidelines for poisoned patients: positive and negative effects of standard phrases used in TOXBASE.
BACKGROUND
Electronic information sources are increasingly relied upon for clinical management advice. TOXBASE is a standardised online resource that offers clinical advice on the management of poisoned patients and is the first point of contact between clinicians and the National Poisons Information Service in the United Kingdom. Advice is delivered using a series of standard phrases. The present study examined how healthcare professionals interpret the phrases and studied their impact on clinical decision-making.


METHODS
A structured prospective written questionnaire was offered to healthcare staff in the Lothian region, and an electronic questionnaire issued to TOXBASE users across the United Kingdom. Participants were asked to respond to a variety of scenarios representing acutely poisoned patients. Clinical management advice was offered via TOXBASE using a variety of standard phrases, and participants were asked to express the likelihood that they would then administer gut decontamination treatment.


RESULTS
There were 70 respondents to written questionnaires, and 119 respondents to the electronic version. Phrases that included didactic instructions, for example 'give', 'contraindicated', 'do' and 'perform' were associated with strongly positive or strongly negative responses. In contrast, advice that consisted of open phrases such as 'consider', 'benefit uncertain', and 'few data' were associated with inconsistent responses.


CONCLUSIONS
Didactic words and phrases are associated with more consistent interpretation and response than open-ended words and phrases. The choice of words and phrases used in electronic systems can have an independent impact on clinical decision-making and require further consideration.
Waring
W S
WS
NPIS Edinburgh, Scottish Poisons Information Bureau, The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK.
McDonald
S H
SH
Good
A M
AM
Gordon
L D
LD
Bateman
D N
DN
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002755:Choice Behavior; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003657:Decision Making; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000628:therapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom