title: Measuring Practicing Clinicians' Information Literacy. An Exploratory Analysis in the Context of Panel Management.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As healthcare moves towards technology-driven population health management, clinicians must adopt complex digital platforms to access health information and document care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study explored information literacy, a set of skills required to effectively navigate population health information systems, among primary care providers in one Veterans' Affairs (VA) medical center.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information literacy was assessed during an 8-month randomized trial that tested a population health (panel) management intervention. Providers were asked about their use and comfort with two VA digital tools for panel management at baseline, 16 weeks, and post-intervention. An 8-item scale (range 0-40) was used to measure information literacy (Cronbach's α=0.84). Scores between study arms and provider types were compared using paired t-tests and ANOVAs. Associations between self-reported digital tool use and information literacy were measured via Pearson's correlations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Providers showed moderate levels of information literacy (M= 27.4, SD 6.5). There were no significant differences in mean information literacy between physicians (M=26.4, SD 6.7) and nurses (M=30.5, SD 5.2, p=0.57 for difference), or between intervention (M=28.4, SD 6.5) and control groups (M=25.1, SD 6.2, p=0.12 for difference). Information literacy was correlated with higher rates of self-reported information system usage (r=0.547, p=0.001). Clinicians identified data access, accuracy, and interpretability as potential information literacy barriers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While exploratory in nature, cautioning generalizability, the study suggests that measuring and improving clinicians' information literacy may play a significant role in the implementation and use of digital information tools, as these tools are rapidly being deployed to enhance communication among care teams, improve health care outcomes, and reduce overall costs.
authors.affiliation: Brian E. Dixon, MPA, PhD, Regenstrief Institute, 1101 W. 10th St., RF 336, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, Email: bedixon@regenstrief.org.
authors.forename: Brian E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Barboza
authors.forename: Ashley E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Katelyn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: Scott E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D063005:Health Information Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D058980:Information Literacy; D008297:Male; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Information systems; health services needs and demand; human engineering or usability; informatics; information literacy