Using electronic knowledge resources for person-centered medicine – I: An evaluation model

Abstract

Rationale: Electronic knowledge resources are routinely searched by physicians for clinical information. The value of clinical information for physicians can be conceptualized in accordance with the ‘Acquisition-Cognition-Application’ model from information studies. In previous work, seven reasons for searching for information (acquisition), and 10 cognitive impacts (cognition), were proposed.Aims and objectives: In two companion papers, our objectives are: (1) to propose a person-centered model of the value of clinical information retrieved by health professionals from electronic knowledge resources, called the ‘Acquisition-Cognition-Application-Outcome’ (ACAO) model and (2) to propose a related concept, the Number Needed To Benefit From Information (NNBI), i.e., the number of patients for whom information has to be retrieved to observe health benefits for one patient. Our research questions are as follows. Part 1: What is known about patients health benefits associated with the use of information that physicians retrieve from electronic knowledge resources? Part 2: How do patients benefit when physicians use information from electronic knowledge resources?Methods: This paper (Part 1) reports a mixed studies review of the medical literature on types of information use and subsequent patient health benefits.Results: Twenty-nine papers were included in this review. These papers support four proposed types of information use and four of five types of patient health benefits.Conclusion: This review of the medical literature supports the ACAO model and paves the way toward a new concept for examining patient health benefits associated with information use, the NNBI described in Part 2.