How well do physicians use electronic information retrieval systems? A framework for investigation and systematic...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Information Science
• Clinical Information Systems

Background:

• Electronic information retrieval (IR) systems are increasingly available to physicians.
• The effectiveness of these systems for clinical practice remains largely unassessed.
• Physicians face numerous clinical questions daily, highlighting the need for efficient information access.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a conceptual framework for evaluating physician use of IR systems.
• To synthesize and apply findings from existing literature to this framework.
• To identify gaps in current research on IR system effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search of medical informatics and information science databases (1966-1998).
• Inclusion of articles on evaluation studies of IR systems, focusing on physician users.
• Development of an evaluation framework encompassing use frequency, purpose, satisfaction, utility, search failure, and outcomes.

Main Results:

• 47 articles were identified for framework development; 21 met inclusion criteria.
• Physician use of IR systems is low (0.3-9 times/month) and primarily involves bibliographic databases.
• Searches retrieve only 25-50% of relevant articles, with limited understanding of application.

Conclusions:

• Current IR systems, including advanced search features, do not significantly outperform basic text word searches.
• Substantial improvements in system utility and performance are necessary.
• Further research and development are crucial to enhance the value of IR systems for physicians.