Is HealthPathways effective? An online survey of hospital clinicians, general practitioners and practice nurses
Resource type
Authors/contributors
- McGeoch, Graham (Author)
- McGeoch, Peter (Author)
- Shand, Brett (Author)
Title
Is HealthPathways effective? An online survey of hospital clinicians, general practitioners and practice nurses
Abstract
AIM: An online survey was used to determine the perceptions of healthcare professionals in Canterbury on HealthPathways, a website that provides clinical and referral information for general practice teams, relevant to locally available health services and resources.
METHOD: The survey questionnaire included questions on the effectiveness and ease-of-use of the website, computer literacy and use of online clinical guidance systems. Differences in the responses between work groups were analysed using the Mann-Whitney test.
RESULTS: 249/480 (52%) of general practitioners, 72/156 (46%) of practice nurses, and 43/66 (65%) of hospital clinicians completed the questionnaire. Approximately 90-95% of general practice teams considered the website was easy to use and had contributed to both an increase and improvement of care in the community, with about 50% stating that it had improved their relationships with patients and hospital clinicians. Minor concerns included the website's increasing size and prescriptive nature and that it increased the duration of a patient consultation. Approximately 60% of hospital clinicians reported improvements in referral quality and triage and working relationships with general practices since the introduction of HealthPathways.
CONCLUSION: HealthPathways has achieved a high level of acceptance in both primary and secondary care, and has therefore acted as a valuable change management tool increasing healthcare integration in Canterbury.
Publication
The New Zealand Medical Journal
Date
Jan 30, 2015
Volume
128
Issue
1408
Pages
36-46
Journal Abbr
N. Z. Med. J.
ISSN
1175-8716
Short Title
Is HealthPathways effective?
Language
en
Library Catalog
PubMed
Extra
PMID: 25662377
Link
Notes
Study topic: Evaluation of HealthPathways through an online survey of Canterbury-based healthcare professionals, assessing its perceived effectiveness, usability, and impact on clinical practice and relationships.
Study type: Cross-sectional survey
Key findings:
- HealthPathways was perceived positively across all groups, with 90% of general practitioners saying it made their job easier and improved quality of care. 87% of hospital clinicians reported it improved care in the community and 70% reported improved referral quality and triage. About 60% of both groups reported improved relationships between hospital and community clinicians.
- General practitioners cited enhanced care quality, easier access to locally relevant guidance, and greater confidence in managing patients within primary care settings.
- Practice nurses valued the website for distinguishing patients they could manage independently and for increasing access to educational resources.
- Female, younger, and rural general practitioners tended to rate HealthPathways more favourably, particularly in terms of usefulness and user experience.
- Barriers included perceptions that the tool added time to consultations, had an overly prescriptive format, and was growing too large to navigate easily.
- A minority raised concerns about the burden of clinical tasks shifting to primary care without additional funding, and some clinicians described the system as promoting “tick-box medicine”.
- HealthPathways was credited with fostering stronger primary–secondary care relationships and facilitating more integrated care in Canterbury.
Citation
McGeoch, G., McGeoch, P., & Shand, B. (2015). Is HealthPathways effective? An online survey of hospital clinicians, general practitioners and practice nurses. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 128(1408), 36–46. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25662377/
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