The University of Manitoba Psychiatry Toolkit: Development and Evaluation

The authors developed and measured the subsequent utilization of a web-based point-of-care information tool and meta-search filter, the University of Manitoba Psychiatry Toolkit, as well as conduct an evaluation of its impact on physicians' information seeking.

Evaluation entailed analysis of toolkit web page utilization data from user visits to the web-based toolkit, as well as an online survey distributed to psychiatrists and resident trainees to assess information gathering behaviors and attitudes regarding various sources of medical information.

Electronic resources and colleagues were the preferred sources for gathering health information, while inadequate time and search skills were ranked as important barriers. Age and physician cadre influenced toolkit use. Majority of respondents used the Psychiatry Toolkit to answer a clinical question, and urgency of the clinical problem influenced their decision to use it.

The Psychiatry Toolkit assists psychiatrists and residents in finding answers to clinical questions arising at point-of-care, helping enhance the ongoing educational needs of physicians.