title: Provider perspectives on electronic decision supports for obesity prevention.
abstract: Despite the availability of national evidenced-based guidelines related to pediatric obesity screening and prevention, multiple studies have shown that primary care physicians find it difficult to adhere to them or are unfamiliar with them altogether. This article presents physicians' perspectives on the use of electronic decision support tools, an alert and Smart Set, to accelerate the adoption of obesity-related recommendations into their practice. The authors interviewed providers using a test encounter walk-through technique that revealed a number of barriers to using electronic decision supports for obesity care in primary care settings. Providers' suggestions for improving their use of obesity-related decision supports are presented. Careful consideration must be given to both the development of electronic decision support tools and a multilayered educational outreach strategy if providers are going to be persuaded to use such supports to help them implement pediatric obesity prevention and management best practices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Institute for Community Health, 163 Gore St, Cambridge, MA 02141, USA. edryden@challiance.org
authors.forename: Eileen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Dryden
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hardin
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Elsie M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Taveras
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hacker
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D010372:Pediatrics