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“Infobuttons” are context-specific links from one information system (usually a clinical information systems such as an electronic health record) to some other resource that provides information that might be relevant to the initial context. Infobuttons are used to anticipate users’ information needs and provide them with easy ways to obtain answers to resolve those needs. For example, a nurse reviewing a patient’s laboratory results may wish to know the implications of a particular result. Click here to learn more about infobuttons. In many cases, the number of possible information needs may be large, and the might differ, based on the situation. For example, if the laboratory result being reviewed is a potassium test, then the user might want to know the implications of an abnormality, whereas if it is a syphilis test, the user might want to look up the latest treatment guidelines. If, however, the test is a drug level, then questions might arise about the dose and side effects of the drug, while the user might want to know about special contraindications if the patient is of child-bearing age. The information need may even vary depending on the user (e.g., student, nurse, or physician) and the resource used to resolve the need may vary with the user’s setting (ICU, ER or clinic) and may depend on the specific guidelines or software licenses of the user’s institution. In order to address these complexities, we have developed
an “Infobutton Manager” that can match the user’s
contextual information against a knowledge base of information needs in order
to propose a select list of topics that may be most likely of interest. Each topic is, in turn, a customized link
to a resource, intended to obtain topic-specific information. For example, if a user is reviewing a
patient’s prothrombin type (a test of blood coagulation), the
Infobutton Manager will provide links to various references about drugs that
affect prothrombin time (such as warfarin sodium). If the patient is an adolescent or adult
female, some of the links will be specifically related to pregnancy and
breastfeeding recommendations. If the
patient is a patient at The Columbia University Infobutton Manager is free for use
and can be integrated into Web-based information systems fairly easily. Click here
to learn more about the technology behind the Infobutton Manager and here
to learn how to integrate the Infobutton Manager into your own system. A simple mockup of what an infobutton looks
and acts like in a clinical information system is here. Click anywhere on the screen to evoke the
Infobutton Manager, but if you click on the infobutton icon, it will look
more realistic. The Infobutton Manager
page that you get is real. Some of the
links may not work if you are not on the However, the customization of the Infobutton Manager is not a simple task. In order to properly use the Infobutton manager, you will need to have a clear understanding of your users’ information needs, know what resources are available to your institution for resolving those needs, understand how to automatically link to those resources, and identify the terminologies used in your system that can help with automating information retrieval. The customization of the Infobutton Manager for all interested institutions, therefore, goes beyond the resources that any one person or small group can provide. In order to help those interested in customizing the Infobutton Manager for their own use, we are developing a Librarian Infobutton Tailoring Environment (LITE). We are building LITE with the help of a community of volunteers who are potential future LITE users (for example, medical librarians). If you are interested in learning more about LITE and how you can participate, click here. |
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Columbia University |
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