Journal:Advancing laboratory medicine in hospitals through health information exchange: A survey of specialist physicians in Canada

Full article title	Advancing laboratory medicine in hospitals through health information exchange: A survey of specialist physicians in Canada
Journal	BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Author(s)	Raymond, Louis; Maillet, Éric; Trudel, Marie-Claude; Marsan, Josianne; de Guniea, Ana Ortiz; Paré, Guy
Author affiliation(s)	Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Université de Sherbrooke, HEC Montréal, Université Laval
Primary contact	Online contact form
Year published	2020
Volume and issue	20
Article #	44
DOI	10.1186/s12911-020-1061-z
ISSN	1472-6947
Distribution license	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Website	https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12911-020-1061-z
Download	https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s12911-020-1061-z.pdf (PDF)

Abstract

Background: Laboratory testing occupies a prominent place in healthcare. Information technology systems have the potential to empower laboratory experts and to enhance the interpretation of test results in order to better support physicians in their quest for better and safer patient care. This study sought to develop a better understanding of which laboratory information exchange (LIE) systems and features specialist physicians are using in hospital settings to consult their patients’ laboratory test results, and what benefit they derive from such use.

Methods: As part of a broader research program on the use of health information exchange systems for laboratory medicine in Quebec, Canada, this study was designed as on online survey. Our sample is composed of 566 specialist physicians working in hospital settings, out of the 1,512 physicians who responded to the survey (response rate of 17%). Respondents are representative of the targeted population of specialist physicians in terms of gender, age, and hospital location.

Results: We first observed that 80% of the surveyed physicians used the province-wide interoperable electronic health records (iEHR) system, and 93% used a laboratory results viewer (LRV) to consult laboratory test results, while most (72%) use both systems to retrieve lab results. Next, our findings reveal important differences in the capabilities available in each type of system and in the use of these capabilities. Third, there are differences in the nature of the perceived benefits obtained from the use of each of these two systems. Last, the extent of use of an LRV is strongly influenced by the IT artefact itself (i.e., the hospital’s LRV available capabilities), while the use of the provincial iEHR system is influenced by its organizational context (i.e., the hospital’s size and location).

Conclusions: The main contribution of this study lies in its insights into the role played by context in shaping physicians’ choices about which LIE systems to adopt, which features to use, and the different perceptions they have about benefits arising from such use. One related implication for practice is that success of LIE initiatives should not be solely assessed with basic usage statistics.

Keywords: laboratory information exchange, information systems, laboratory medicine, specialist physician, hospital, perceived benefits, online survey research

Notes

This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation, grammar, and punctuation. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added.