How the internet is transforming health care

The huge range of health care information available via the internet is an invaluable resource utilised every day by NHS staff, not simply for professional development through the availability of online journals, but increasingly for clinical decision making.

New research shows that more than a fifth of clinicians now use the internet while in consultation with a patient to access health information. A further 20 per cent reported using the internet as an information resource before, and 41 per cent following, consultation with a patient.

The survey of 2,752 health professionals was carried out for NHS Evidence prior to the launch of web portal on 30 April. The results showed that almost all (99 per cent) use the internet for work purposes including clinical decision making, professional development and when making management decisions in policy or planning. Despite the internet’s widespread use, more than half (54 per cent) felt that the development of a single portal service, like NHS Evidence, would improve the quality of health information available to NHS clinicians and managers.

In the fast changing world of health care, where the volume of medical research doubles every 20 years, keeping up to date with all the latest advances is challenging. However, it is necessary in order to deliver the best possible care to patients and to maximise resources.

NHS Evidence was developed in response to Lord Darzi’s report, Our NHS Our Future (May 2008) to aid the provision for high quality care for all, by providing all NHS staff with quick and easy access to the best information required to deliver the highest quality care to patients.

Provided by NICE, NHS Evidence builds on the institute’s international reputation for robust evidence assessment and adds to the work of other significant contributions to evidence-based medicine such as the Cochrane Library.

The web-based service is built around a powerful enterprise search engine which enables users to access other related sites such as the BNF and DARE directly via one search. It is designed to look simple and user friendly, but behind this is a complex filtering system tailored to its specialist user needs. A drop down navigation menu allows users to refine a search into various topic areas, such as clinical or drugs and technologies. The information is then ranked according to relevancy and quality.

From October, the most trusted sources of guidance - including clinical guidelines, clinical summaries and best practice statements – will be easily recognisable via a NHS Evidence quality kite mark. Central to the service’s development is a robust accreditation scheme. Guidance producers are invited to provide the NHS Evidence Accreditation Advisory Committee with a submission against internationally agreed criteria for guideline development. In the future it is anticipated that the accreditation scheme will be extended to include other types of information.

NHS Evidence is also developing systems to help busy clinicians, who do not have time to review all relevant new publications, stay up to date. Significant new evidence, which may have implications for a change in clinical practice, is highlighted via annual evidence updates and in a monthly electronic bulletin, Eyes on Evidence, to which subscription is free via the portal. This work is supported by 34 specialist teams which form the NHS Evidence Specialist Collections.

Moving forward, NHS Evidence also has plans to personalise the service as part of Release 2 in October. This feature will allow users to tailor the homepage to their own requirements, including relevant updates and more specific searches.

How the service develops is driven largely by user feedback and there are many different ways to get involved in this process. In addition to user panels, there is a feedback form on the site and an enquiries desk .

Contact  0845 003 7744 or contactus@evidence.nhs.uk

The service will take some time to reach full functionality and its success will depend on how well it is able to adapt and keep pace with evolving user. By making it quicker and easier to stay up to date, NHS Evidence is a resource that has the potential to enhance day to day working and drive up quality standards. It means that when NHS staff need information, their task is made much easier because they know where to look and can rely on the quality of information provided.