Sidelines 17 (2)
Julie Glanville, Su Golder, Kate Light, Lindsey Myers and Kath
Wright
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
University of York
Web:
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd
Jones R B,
Pearson J, Cawsey A J, Bental D, Barrett A, White J, White C A,
Gilmour W H. Effect of different forms of information produced for
cancer patients on their use of the information, social support and
anxiety: randomised trial. BMJ. 2006;332:942-6.
This trial explored
whether patients have different information preferences and coping
styles, and whether these factors may influence the way cancer
information should be offered. Four hundred patients, mostly suffering
from breast or prostate cancer, were randomised to eight groups who
received different combinations of information and advice. The
information offered was presented as booklets. Four groups received
personalised information and the other four received general
information. Four groups selected the information they wanted to see
and the other four received booklets produced automatically. Half the
groups received anxiety management advice and half did not.
Three hundred and
twenty-five patients were followed-up. They were more likely to view
the booklets produced automatically as useful and less likely to see
them as too limited. However, the larger size of the automatic
booklets was more likely to produce feelings of overload, than those
booklets created by the patients themselves. The personalised booklets
were more likely to tell patients something new. However, when asked
to rate their current understanding of their cancer there was no
difference by any of the intervention factors. Patients with
personalised information were more likely to show their booklets to
another person and more likely to think it helped in discussing their
cancer. Compared to the authors’ previous study they found no
improvement in patient anxiety from the interventions and patients’
information preferences did not seem to have a strong effect on the
impact of the different information formats.
The authors suggest
that patients do like personalised information and are more likely to
show it to others. However, they suggest further research should be
conducted to learn how far information sharing affects patients’
social support and anxiety levels.
Fung V, Ortiz E,
Huang J, Foreman B, Miller R, Selby JV, Hsu J. Early experiences with
e-health services (1999-2002). Medical Care. 2006;44(5):491-6.
While the NHS Choose
and Book service is not yet fully operational, some healthcare
providers in the USA are already providing electronic health services
such as appointment booking, prescription ordering, and medical and
prescription drug advice. This study found that the overall level of
use of e-health services is still limited although the use of
appointment booking and prescription ordering services is increasing
at a greater rate than the advice services. To improve quality and
efficiency of services the authors suggest that healthcare providers
need to target services at specific groups of patients.
Khatri N. Building
IT capability in health-care organizations. Health Services Management
Research. 2006;19:73-9.
This article provides
a US perspective on how health care organisations should develop their
IT capabilities to achieve integrated systems and improved business
performance. The author uses the “theory of the firm” to argue that
the possession of resources, such as IT capability, can give a company
competitive advantage over rivals. The IT strategy adopted by
healthcare organisations should include the appointment of IT
professionals at a senior level within the organisation to emphasize
the importance of IT to the organisation, the development of internal
skills as opposed to reliance upon external expertise and the
integration of IT with the organisation’s main activities.
Skinner, B. Web
alert: opening up access to journal articles online. Quality in
Primary Care. 2006;4:55-8.
Many obstacles exist
when trying to access the full text of journal articles online, not
least dramatic increases in subscription rates that may result in the
cancelling of titles by library services. This article suggests a
solution to this problem, open access publishing, which provides free
access to journal articles.
In open access
publishing neither the publisher nor the author have rights over the
creation and distribution of copies of an article. This is because the
author pays the publisher to peer-review the article, pays for
typesetting and proofreading, and contributes to the maintenance of
the publisher’s website. Therefore, as long as the author is credited,
open access journals can be read, downloaded, copied and distributed
without constraint.
The author describes
in detail four open access resources:
Publishers have made a
number of arguments against open access publishing, including the
affordability of publishing for authors, but this pro-open access
publishing paper outlines the main benefits.
Purham, K. The
nation’s data? The UK census – guaranteed confidentiality but only
limited information. Evidence & Policy. 2006;2:227-48.
This article explores
some of the failings of census data in the UK. It covers aspects such
as response rates, the relevance of the questions and access to the
data.
The author begins by
reflecting on the surprisingly low response rate (especially among
particular groups) despite the compulsory nature of the census in the
UK. They then discuss the lack of relevance of certain questions to
current policy decisions. For example, they cite the absence of
explicit questions on housing condition, income and disability. The
currency of the census data is also seen as a problem. This is not
only a result of the frequency of the census (every ten years) but
also of the slow release of data. The use of anonymisation techniques
(in order to retain confidentiality of the data) leads to limited
detail and even to inaccuracies in the published (as opposed to the
collected) data.
Although this article
mostly discusses the limitations of the census the author does
recognise the improvements in data access as availability is increased
though publication on the internet and in CD format and summary
reports. A range of methods to improve data capture will be tested in
2007 for possible implementation in the 2011 census. The author
discusses how other government surveys could be used to improve
population data. Although there has been a growth in the collection of
population data in the private sector which, in theory, could be used
instead of census data, the quality of private sector information is
often poorer than census information.
The author concludes
that despite its limitations the census is one of the most robust data
sources available and is a key resource for policy makers. However,
there is a need to make the data more relevant and usable.
This is a long,
detailed and interesting article on a vital statistical resource.
Hare C, Davies C,
Sheperd M. Safer medicine administration through the use of
e-learning. Nursing Times. 2006;102(16):25-2.
Patient safety is of
paramount importance and much has been published on this issue. This
paper reports on one aspect of patient safety, the correct
administration of medicines by nurses. The authors carried out a
survey in an NHS Hospital Trust and uncovered significant shortcomings
in the level of knowledge and awareness of nursing staff with regard
to safe medication practice.
In response to the
results of this survey the authors then went on to set up a formal
education and assessment process for nurses at the trust via an
e-learning package. The paper presents the results from 34 nurses who
completed the package. Most of the nurses found the package easy to
use and said they would use the system again. The authors conclude
that the tool is a significant asset for improving ‘standards of
care’.
Although interesting
this article would have benefited from further evaluation of the
e-learning package to demonstrate how its use could lead to
improvements in practice and the standards of care.
Jacobson N, Goering
P. Credibility and credibility work in knowledge transfer. Evidence &
Policy. 2006;2(2):151-65.
This article examines
the different factors that affect the success of knowledge transfer
(the communication of information and its subsequent implementation).
The authors start with
a brief review of the literature on credibility theory, ranging from
Aristotle to the present day. This section provides a succinct
background of the theory of credibility and is followed by qualitative
case studies that illustrate the importance of credibility and how it
can be achieved.
All the studies were
conducted at the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit (HSRCU)
in Toronto, Canada. In three separate projects, consultants were
employed to give advice on various management issues. For example, one
consultant was asked to suggest the best way to utilise psychiatric
beds at an in-patient facility. Extensive interviews were conducted
with the consultants and their clients, to capture their experiences
of the knowledge transfer process and to try to establish the factors
that influenced whether recommendations were implemented.
The authors conclude
that credibility was “a key factor in successful knowledge transfer”.
They suggest that credibility has four dimensions. Scientific
credibility relates to the perceived accuracy of the data upon which
the recommendations are based. Secondly, expertise refers to the
knowledge, experience and skills held by the communicator. The third
factor is the authority of the communicator. This includes not only
their status within the organisation and their professional
credentials, but the way they present themselves. Finally, a neutral
stance (indicating a lack of bias) enhances credibility.
This article is based
on case studies of management consultants and the authors warn that
the results may not be generalisable, but the theories they suggest do
seem likely to be applicable to information workers.
There are two messages
in this article that seem particularly important. The first is the
danger of the loss of credibility. A project or person can start out
with a high level of credibility but, once lost, this can be very hard
to regain. Therefore anyone involved in knowledge transfer needs to
assess their level of credibility at each stage of the project.
Secondly, in order to ensure the implementation of recommendations the
information needs to be not just credible, but also accurate,
practical and useful.
Back to Inform 17 (2) | 
