How doctors make use of online, point-of-care clinical decision support systems: a case study of UpToDate©.

BACKGROUND Online point-of-care evidence-based information tools are becoming increasingly popular. OBJECTIVES To discover how doctors actually use one such tool - UpToDate - in clinical practice. METHODS An online survey was distributed to doctors at healthcare organisations in the north-west of England which subscribed to UpToDate. Some survey questions asked for quantifiable data (e.g. demographic details), whilst other questions were open-ended and sought examples of clinical scenarios and actual point-of-care use of UpToDate. Open-ended responses were then analysed into emerging themes. RESULTS The open-ended responses include evidence illustrating a large variety of clinical scenarios in which the use of UpToDate influenced clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS These results show how just one point-of-care tool is used in a variety of ways that benefit the patient, the doctor and the healthcare organisation. Direct quotations reported will provide compelling evidence for librarians to present to senior managers who may be unsure of the value of point-of-care tools in clinical practice.