Characterizing physicians' information needs related to a gap in knowledge unmet by current evidence

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Clinical Decision Support
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Current medical evidence often fails to meet clinicians' knowledge needs.
• Gaps in evidence are prevalent in complex clinical scenarios, affecting specific patient populations.
• Existing resources may not adequately address all clinical information requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore clinicians' unmet information needs stemming from evidence gaps.
• To identify potential applications and target users for a future clinical decision support system (CDSS).
• To guide the design of a CDSS for real-time clinical guidance.

Main Methods:

• Conducted interviews with 30 physicians at an academic medical center.
• Analyzed interview transcripts using deductive thematic analysis.
• Performed statistical analyses to correlate clinical experience and specialty with information needs.

Main Results:

• Identified themes of information needs arising from evidence gaps.
• Experienced and inpatient physicians reported more questions, with no decline in needs over time.
• Key information gaps included comorbidities, elderly/pediatric patients, new drugs, and rare disorders.

Conclusions:

• Medical evidence is insufficient for certain populations and complex cases.
• Experienced and inpatient physicians could benefit from a CDSS providing real-time evidence.
• Findings offer insights for designing effective CDSS to address clinical information needs.