Learning support for the consultation: information support and decision support should be placed in an educational...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Professional Education
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Information technology enables real-time, contextually relevant, evidence-based information delivery during patient consultations.
• Practitioners must rapidly integrate new computer-provided information with their experience during consultations.
• This integration occurs under time constraints and in the patient's presence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To frame the practitioner's task of integrating new information within an educational context.
• To explore the role of learning theories in the use of decision support systems.
• To provide insights into the implementation of real-time decision support for experienced practitioners.

Main Methods:

• Review of theories on professional experience and knowledge.
• Application of schema theory to understand information integration.
• Examination of cognitive dissonance and reflection in practitioner learning.

Main Results:

• Framing decision support implementation through a learning lens offers valuable perspectives.
• The core process involves practitioner learning during the consultation.
• Decision support and information support software are crucial for this learning.

Conclusions:

• Real-time decision support should be viewed in the context of practitioner learning and experience.
• Software design and practitioner training must support the learning process during consultations.
• Effective integration requires supporting the practitioner's cognitive and learning processes.