arriba-lib: Analyses of user interactions with an electronic library of decision aids on the basis of log data

Abstract

Computerised log files are important for analysing user behaviour in health informatics to gain insight into processes that lead to suboptimal user patterns. This is important for software training programmes or for changes to improve usability. Technical user behaviour regarding decision aids has not so far been thoroughly investigated with log files. The aim of our study was to examine more detailed user interactions of primary-care physicians and their patients with arriba-lib, our multimodular electronic library of decision aids used during consultations, on the basis of log data. We analysed 184 consultation log files from 28 primary-care physicians. The average consultation time of our modules was about 8 min. Two-thirds of the consultation time were spent in the history information part of the programme. In this part, mainly bar charts were used to display risk information. Our electronic library of decision aids does not generate specific user behaviour based on physician characteristics such as age, gender, years in practice, or prior experience with decision aids. This supports the widespread use of our e-library in the primary-care sector and probably beyond.

Keywords:

• Computers
• decision support techniques
• evaluation studies
• patient participation
• physician–patient relations

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF – grant no. FKZ 01GK0701). For programming and design, we gratefully acknowledge the work of Thomas Scheithauer and Ute Scholz. Erika Baum, Attila Altiner, Günter Egidi, and Uwe Popert provided their medical expertise in building up the contents of the arriba-lib modules. Christina Albohn-Kühne provided the idea of using weigh scales. Monika Heinzel-Gutenbrunner gave us helpful advice regarding multilevel analysis. We thank Beate Czypionka for her help in recruiting physicians, our study coordinators Elisabeth Szabo and Marion Herz-Schuchardt for data collection and organisation, and all participating patients and physicians.

Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.