In the fast-paced world of modern medicine, doctors are constantly faced with new information and complex patient cases. With the vast amount of medical knowledge available today, it’s impossible for doctors to have everything memorized. That’s why most doctors routinely look up information to help guide their clinical decision making.
Why do doctors look things up?
There are several key reasons why doctors look up information:
- To confirm details about diseases, medications, procedures, etc. Medicine is a field that is constantly evolving as new research emerges. Doctors need to reference the latest evidence-based guidelines.
- To learn about unfamiliar conditions. With over 10,000 known diseases, doctors will inevitably encounter patients with conditions they have little experience diagnosing and treating.
- To verify drug dosages and interactions. There are thousands of prescription drugs and remembering all the dosages, contraindications, and potential interactions is challenging.
- To refresh their knowledge. Human memory decays over time. Looking up information helps strengthen existing knowledge.
- To access patient education resources. Doctors need to provide patients with understandable information about their conditions and treatment options.
Essentially, looking up information allows doctors to make the most informed decisions for their patients and provide the best possible care.
What resources do doctors use?
Doctors have a vast array of resources at their fingertips to look up medical information. Some of the most commonly used resources include:
- Medical databases like UpToDate and PubMed – These provide access to peer-reviewed journal articles, clinical trial data, and evidence-based recommendations.
- Pharmacy databases such as Lexicomp and Micromedex – Help verify drug dosing, interactions, side effects, and clinical pharmacology.
- Textbooks – While less commonly used today, textbooks still provide comprehensive medical information.
- Clinical decision support tools – Software programs integrated into electronic health records provide condition-specific guidance.
- Medical calculators – Help calculate things like cardiac risk scores, medication doses, and statistics.
- Apps and websites – Numerous digital resources exist for looking up diseases, drugs, procedures, billing codes, etc.
- Colleagues – Calling specialists and colleagues helps doctors get input on challenging cases.
Doctors may use several of these references for a single patient case to ensure they are fully informed to provide the best care.
How much time do doctors spend looking up information?
It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much time doctors spend looking up medical information on a daily basis. Research studies suggest:
- About 30-40% of questions arise during patient care that require looking up information.
- Doctors spend almost an hour per day, on average, searching for clinical information.
- Primary care physicians may look up answers to 64% of clinical questions that arise.
- Specialists, such as surgeons, tend to look up fewer answers, averaging about 43% of questions.
The time spent looking up information also depends on the setting. For example, doctors in outpatient clinics may spend more time searching for information at the point of care than doctors working in busy emergency rooms. Additionally, more experienced doctors likely rely less on looking up information compared to doctors early in training.
How has technology impacted how doctors look up information?
The Internet and mobile technology have greatly impacted how doctors access medical information. Some key ways technology has changed information seeking include:
- Electronic resources like UpToDate and Epocrates allow for real-time point-of-care access on smartphones and computers.
- Search engines like Google and PubMed provide quick access to an enormous wealth of medical journals and guidelines.
- Medical apps synthesize information into calculators and decision aids.
- Clinical decision support integrated into EHRs provides patient-specific information.
- Social media platforms help doctors engage with colleagues.
- EMR messaging allows doctors to instantly consult remotely with other specialists.
Technology enables doctors to look up relevant information faster. One study found doctors’ sources of information shifted from textbooks and journals to online resources after introducing electronic resources.
Do patients mind if their doctor looks up information?
Most patients understand and expect that doctors will need to look up details about their case. In fact, studies show:
- Around 90% of patients believe it is appropriate for doctors to look up medical information in front of them.
- Two-thirds of patients report increased trust in their doctor when they look up details about their condition.
- Most patients feel reassured that information lookup indicates the doctor is being thorough.
However, doctors should ensure searching does not dominate the entire visit. Maintaining rapport and eye contact remains important during brief lookups. Explaining the purpose can help put patients at ease.
How will information needs change in the future?
Medicine will continue evolving rapidly, necessitating ongoing learning and information retrieval by doctors. Some ways doctors’ information needs may change include:
- Increased need for point-of-care resources as knowledge grows.
- More demand for resources summarizing evidence and guidelines as the volume of literature increases.
- Greater reliance on mobile apps and digital clinical decision support tools.
- More emphasis on patient-specific genetic data, biomarkers, and predictive analytics.
- Potential for artificial intelligence to provide insights and recommendations.
Overall, doctors will likely spend more time searching for information at the point of care. Mastering digital resources and evidence-based medicine will remain key competencies.
Conclusion
Seeking answers and keeping up-to-date with medical knowledge is simply part of practicing good medicine. While newer doctors may look up information more frequently, doctors of all experience levels and specialties rely on looking up details to provide optimal patient care. Advances in technology will continue to shape how doctors access information at the point of care.
| Resource | Key Features |
|---|---|
| UpToDate | Evidence-based clinical decision support resource with over 10,000topics and recommendations based on latest guidelines. |
| PubMed | Database of over 30 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. |
| Epocrates | Mobile app providing medication dosing, drug interactions, diagnostic criteria, medical calculators, and more. |
| VisualDx | Medical image library and diagnostic clinical decision support tool containing over 1,000 conditions and thousands of images. |