i3b3: Infobuttons for i2b2 as a Mechanism for Investigating the Information Needs of Clinical Researchers

AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2017 Feb 10:2016:696-704. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

The information needs of clinicians, as they interact with the EHR, are well-studied. Clinical researchers also interact with the EHR and, while they might be expected to have some similar needs, the unique needs that arise due to nature of their work remain largely unstudied. For clinicians, infobuttons (context-aware hyperlinks) provide a mechanism of studying these information needs. Here we describe the integration of infobuttons into i2b2, a popular data warehouse commonly used by clinical researchers, using a plugin. A preliminary survey of i2b2 developers suggests a general interest in infobuttons for i2b2 and indicates good likelihood for their deployment, where they may be used as a tool for further studying these needs in greater detail.

MeSH terms

  • Databases as Topic
  • Electronic Health Records*
  • Humans
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Needs Assessment*
  • Research Personnel*
  • User-Computer Interface*