Healthcare professionals rely on systematic reviews as a time-efficient mechanism of expediting their familiarity with scientific literature. Unfortunately, practical application of the evidence contained in these reviews is hindered by the time required by researchers to conduct the review. As a result, a gap exists between research findings, health policy and clinical practice.
The aim of the current fellowship is to evaluate the utility of a series of computer support toolboxes that automate the systematic review process in research and clinical contexts. These toolboxes have significant potential for expediting the evidence synthesis process for researchers and subsequently fulfilling the information-needs of healthcare professionals.
The objectives of the fellowship are as follows:
1. To conduct a randomised crossover trial in a research setting wherein pairs of researchers will be tasked with completing one component of a systematic review (article selection, assessment, data extraction or analysis). Pairs of researchers will alternately receive selected computer-support tools to aid the task. Each pair of researchers will be evaluated for accuracy (# errors) and efficiency (time) of task completion.
2. To conduct a randomised crossover trial in a clinical setting wherein two cohorts of clinicians alternately receive a selected computer-support tool during a theoretical examination and 20-weeks of daily-practice. Scores on each theoretical examination will be evaluated, and their interaction with the toolbox will be explored.
3. To explore whether access to the computer-support tool during day-to-day practice is associated with improved rehabilitation outcomes for patients.
The hypotheses are as follows:
1. Computer-support tools are an effective means of expediting the systematic review process, thus reducing the resources required for researchers to consolidate evidence.
2. Computer-support tools are an effective means of acutely fulfilling healthcare professionals’ information needs. 3. Their implementation in the care-pathway alters patients’ rehabilitation outcomes.
