Electronic retrieval of health information by healthcare providers to improve practice and patient care.
BACKGROUND
The movement towards evidence-based practice makes explicit the need for access to current best evidence to improve health. Advances in electronic technologies have made health information more available, but does availability affect the rate of use of evidence in practice?


OBJECTIVE
To assess the effectiveness of interventions intended to provide electronic retrieval (access to information) to health information by healthcare providers to improve practice and patient care.


METHODS
We obtained studies from computerized searches of multiple electronic bibliographic databases, supplemented by checking reference lists, and consultation with experts.


METHODS
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including cluster randomized trials (CRCTs), controlled clinical trials (CCT), and interrupted time series analyses (ITS) of any language publication status examining interventions of effectiveness of electronic retrieval of health information by healthcare providers.


METHODS
Duplicate relevancy screening of searches, data abstraction and risk of bias assessment was undertaken.


RESULTS
We found two studies that examined this question. Neither study found any changes in professional behavior following an intervention that facilitated electronic retrieval of health information. There was some evidence of improvements in knowledge about the electronic sources of information reported in one study. Neither study assessed changes in patient outcomes or the costs of provision of the electronic resource and the implementation of the recommended evidence-based practices.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall there was insufficient evidence to support or refute the use of electronic retrieval of healthcare information by healthcare providers to improve practice and patient care.
McGowan
Jessie L
JL
Institute of Population Health/Ottawa Health Research Institute, University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart St. room 206, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 6N5.
Grad
Roland
R
Pluye
Pierre
P
Hannes
Karin
K
Deane
Katherine
K
Labrecque
Michel
M
Welch
Vivian
V
Tugwell
Peter
P
D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005791:Patient Care; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic