Physicians’ information-seeking, appraising, and clinical decision-making practices for drug prescriptions: an exploratory study

Authors

  • Akhi Nath Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Julien Meyer Associate Professor at School of Health Services Management, Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Mathieu Templier Professor of Management Information Systems in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2025.2082

Keywords:

Evidence Based Practice, information-seeking, Clinical Decision-Making

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to understand the process of physicians’ evidence-based clinical decision-making for new drug prescriptions.

Methods: Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thematic coding was used for data analysis.

Results: Several findings emerged. First, point-of-care information seeking focuses more on accessible and easy-to-use sources, such as medical websites, while out-of-practice searches encompass broader sources such as printed sources and extended networks. Medical websites are becoming preferred sources of information. Second, critical appraisal of information is performed passively by using pre-appraised information sources and referring to professional networks. Third, professional networks (i.e., specialists and senior colleagues) remain essential throughout the process and are pivotal for the decision to change prescription practices.

Conclusions: Medical information systems that facilitate immediate access to summarized reliable evidence and feature real-time connectivity to the communities of practice can be an effective strategy for improving physicians’ evidence-based practice for new drug prescriptions.

Author Biographies

Julien Meyer, Associate Professor at School of Health Services Management, Toronto Metropolitan University

Dr. Julien Meyer is an Associate Professor at Ted Rogers School of Management.

His research has been published in prominent medical research publications, such as the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Telemedicine and e-Health, the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, and Diagnostic Pathology. His research interests focus on physicians' use and implementation of Artificial Intelligence and the transformative role of Information Technologies in healthcare organizations.

Mathieu Templier, Professor of Management Information Systems in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval

Mathieu Templier is Professor of Management Information Systems in the Faculty of Business Administration at Université Laval. His research interests focus on research methods, literature reviews, innovation management, as well as open and collaborative science. His work has appeared in outlets including the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Information & Management, and the Communications of the Association for Information Systems.

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Published

2025-08-01

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Section

Original Investigation