Sharing clinical decisions for multimorbidity case management using social network and open-source tools

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Collaborative Healthcare
• Web 2.0 Technologies

Background:

• Social networks enhance health professional communication and coordination, crucial for complex multimorbidity patient care.
• Multimorbidity requires consensus among numerous healthcare professionals, highlighting the need for collaborative tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a collaborative work tool for healthcare professionals managing multimorbidity patients.
• To incorporate decision support functionalities into a social network for shared decision-making across care levels.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Shared Care Platform (SCP) with a social network component (Clinical Wall) and a Clinical Decision Support (CDS) system.
• Pilot study using a questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model to assess healthcare professional acceptance and use of the SCP.

Main Results:

• The Clinical Wall component was deployed in a hospital and primary care centers for 6 months.
• 10 professionals generated 33 messages across 16 records, with 75% of records receiving responses.
• Professionals reported positive acceptance of the tool in the pilot study.

Conclusions:

• The Clinical Wall facilitates communication and coordination for multimorbidity patient care, supporting decisions on appointments, conditions, and prescriptions.
• Interoperability standards and open-source software integration are key for bridging knowledge and practice gaps.
• While initial usage metrics were moderate, the positive acceptance suggests future adoption, especially with integrated CDS tools.