How do clinicians use, experience, and value applications of outcome information in daily care? A mixed-methods study.

Abstract

Objective: To support data-driven healthcare, digital applications of patient and outcome information bundled in dashboards can be used in daily care. This study investigated the usage, user-friendliness, and added value of patient and outcome information applications from a clinician's perspective.

Design: We used a mixed-methods design, including surveys (n = 56 clinicians), interviews (n = 16 clinicians), and eye-tracking experiments (n = 8 clinicians) across 3 different settings: a specialized clinic, a rehabilitation centre, and a general hospital. The applications, bundled in dashboards, include visual representations of patient information, individual treatment goals, screening tools for mental health, pain, and physical function, individual predictions of recovery and treatment effect, visuals of treatment outcome information, and identification of extreme values that fall outside the expected values.

Results: Applications were used for managing patient expectations, treatment selection, goal setting, and treatment evaluation. While usage frequency varied between applications and clinicians generally reported positive experiences with outcome information, a complex interaction of factors influenced use in clinical practice. The value of each application depends on its clinical actionability and clinicians' confidence.

Conclusion: From clinicians' perspectives, the applications provide meaningful conversation starters, can lead to a more targeted conversation, and allow for better patient-clinician connection.