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BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Child Abuse | Research article

Effects of a computerised guideline support tool on child healthcare professionals’ response to suspicions of child abuse and neglect: a community-based intervention trial

Authors: Annemieke A. J. Konijnendijk, Magda M. Boere-Boonekamp, Maria E. Haasnoot, Ariana Need

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Healthcare professionals’ adherence to guidelines on child protection is not self-evident. This study assessed the effects of a computerised support tool on child healthcare professionals’ adherence to the seven recommended guideline activities, and on time spent seeking information presented in this guideline.

Methods

A community-based intervention trial design was applied, comparing access to a paper-based guideline (control) with access to a paper-based guideline supplemented with a computerised guideline support tool (intervention). A total of 168 child healthcare doctors and nurses working in one large Dutch organisation were allocated to an intervention or control group. Outcomes were professionals’ performance of seven recommended guideline activities and the amount of time spent seeking information presented in the guideline. Professionals’ adherence was measured using two methods: health record analysis and a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire was also used to collect data on the amount of time spent seeking guideline information.

Results

In total, 152 health records (102 in the intervention group and 50 in the control group) were available for analysis. The tool was registered in 14% of the records in the intervention group. Performance of activities, corrected for intentional non-adherence, was except for one activity, high (range 80–100%); no differences were found between the control and intervention groups. Forty-nine questionnaires (24 in the intervention group and 25 in the control group) were analysed. Sixty-three percent of the questionnaire respondents (15/24) claimed to have used the tool. No differences in guideline adherence were found between the two groups. Respondents in the intervention and control groups spent, on average, 115 and 153 min respectively seeking relevant information presented in the guideline.

Conclusions

The results regarding use of the tool were inconclusive as the outcomes differed per method. In contrast to expectations, performance of guideline activities was high in both groups. The support tool may decrease the amount of time spent on seeking guideline information. However, given the high adherence scores and small number of questionnaire respondents, the outcomes failed to reach statistical significance. Future research should focus on studying the effects of the tool after a longer period of availability.
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Metadata
Title
Effects of a computerised guideline support tool on child healthcare professionals’ response to suspicions of child abuse and neglect: a community-based intervention trial
Authors
Annemieke A. J. Konijnendijk
Magda M. Boere-Boonekamp
Maria E. Haasnoot
Ariana Need
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0884-y

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