Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3
Endocrine Research Center, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4
Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Health Management and Economics Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran,
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes makes considerable costs for health‑care organizations.
The increase of patient’s self‑care abilities by use of personalizing health information prescription
can reduce these costs. This study was conducted to explore the benefits and challenges related to
personalizing health information prescription in diabetes clinical settings.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The samples included diabetes education officials working in
specialized diabetes clinics and Diabetes Research Centre managers of Iran and Tehran Universities
of Medical Sciences. They were 21 cases and selected through purposeful sampling method.
Semi‑structured interview and focus discussion groups were used to collect the viewpoints of
specialists. Interview guide, based on literature review and the documents of diabetes, was used
in interviews and focus groups. Their validity was affirmed by specialists. The interview texts were
coded in MAXQDA10 software and analyzed through content analysis method.
RESULTS: The most important benefits of personalizing health information prescription were
classified into five themes as follows: medical services improvement, facilitation of consumers to
information resources, improvement in patients’ knowledge and awareness, increase in self‑care
ability and disease management, reinforcing the relation between physician and patient and keeping
physician in the information prescription cycle. The challenges of personalizing of health information
prescription were revealed as follows: Recognition of patients’ personal characteristics at the turn
of entering the system, systems’ functional modifiers especially bilateral interaction and relation to
patient’s health file, content recognition, and creating suitable protocol.
CONCLUSION: This study showed that diabetes clinical settings face different organizational and
process challenges for establishing the personalization of health information prescription. The most
important challenges which should be considered in designing information prescription in diabetes
clinical environments are as follows: reinforcing physicians’ recognition of information prescription
benefits, lack of integrative electronic health information system, and patient primary assessment
in the first stage of entering the patient into the system in respect of clinical and personal aspects
in information needs of consumer.
Keywords
