Electronic safety-netting tool features considered important by UK general practice staff: an interview and Delphi...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Primary Care Research
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Electronic health records (EHRs) offer potential for safety netting.
• Several electronic safety-netting (E-SN) tools have been developed to enhance patient care.
• Optimizing E-SN tools is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and establish the most critical features of electronic safety-netting (E-SN) tools.
• To understand user preferences for E-SN tool functionality in primary care.
• To assess consensus on essential E-SN tool attributes.

Main Methods:

• User-experience interviews were conducted remotely with primary care staff.
• A modified electronic Delphi study was employed to achieve consensus on E-SN tool features.
• Participants included primary care staff involved in safety netting processes in the UK.

Main Results:

• User interviews informed the features included in the Delphi study.
• 28 out of 44 (64%) features reached consensus after three rounds of the Delphi survey.
• Primary care staff favored E-SN tools with general applicability over disease-specific ones.

Conclusions:

• Primary care staff prioritize flexible, efficient, and integrated E-SN tools.
• Patient and public involvement groups desired more robust safety features not reaching consensus.
• Evidence of E-SN tool effectiveness and impact on patient outcomes is needed for successful adoption.