Persistence of clinical questions across shifts on an intensive care unit: an observational pilot study

Embargo until
Date
2014-07
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Medical Library Association
Abstract
How do clinical questions emerge and move toward resolution in the intensive care setting over the course of 24 hours? In a 20-bed surgical intensive care unit in a large, tertiary-care teaching hospital, informationists shadowed clinicians for 2 48-hour periods to record questions, noting when they were asked and whether they were answered. Thirty-eight percent of 112 recorded questions remained unanswered. Some unanswered questions persisted across shifts, and clinicians' information-seeking behaviors changed over time. Clinical information services can be improved and integrated more fully into clinical workflows based on a fuller understanding of the life cycle of clinical inquiry.
Description
PMC4076130
Keywords
Information Seeking Behavior, Decision Making, Patient Care, Critical Care Unit
Citation
http://dx.doi.org/10.3163/1536-5050.102.3.011