article · Tanzania Medical Journal
Healthcare professionals face vast amounts of online medical data, which can make clinical decision-making challenging. The UpToDate database serves as a clinical decision support system designed to improve healthcare delivery, but its adoption at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences remained poorly understood. An evaluation involving postgraduate students, academicians, and librarians revealed a moderate awareness of the database. However, inadequate training left most users with insufficient knowledge and skills, prompting them to rely merely on simple search methods. Postgraduate students experienced significant barriers to regular use, such as complicated registration processes, weak search skills, lack of guidance, poor internet connectivity, resource constraints, and limited time. Consequently, the database remains underutilised despite its clinical value, highlighting the need for improved institutional prioritisation and targeted librarian support.
Clinical decision support tools help clinicians access reliable medical evidence quickly, which can improve patient care and treatment choices. When healthcare practitioners lack the training or connectivity to navigate these platforms, valuable resources are wasted. Addressing these digital barriers ensures medical trainees and practitioners can translate current clinical evidence into safer and more effective daily healthcare delivery.
The abstract does not describe a proprietary technology or direct commercialisation pathway. Instead, it identifies adoption challenges for existing health information platforms, suggesting potential demand for simplified onboarding systems, offline or low-bandwidth clinical software, and targeted digital training programmes for medical practitioners in university hospital environments.
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Background Healthcare practitioners encounter massive medical information online, which complicates clinical decision-making. UpToDate, launched in 1992 at Harvard Medical School, functions as a Clinical Decision Support System in high-income countries to enhance healthcare delivery. Despite the initiatives undertaken by Better Evidence to support access to the database, there was limited information available regarding the usage of the database by healthcare practitioners at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences. Broad Objective The general objective was to evaluate the utilization of the UpToDate database by healthcare practitioners at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in support of clinical decision-making. Specifically, the study assessed the level of awareness, examined knowledge and skills, and identified the challenges associated with using the UpToDate database in clinical decision-making. Methods The study employed a descriptive research design, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences was an area of study, with a sample size of 199, including postgraduate students, five academicians, and five librarians. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were applied in selecting respondents. Data from the study were collected through questionnaires and interview methods. SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data, and qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis. Results The findings revealed moderate awareness of the UpToDate database. Due to inadequate training, the majority had insufficient knowledge and skills in using the database. As a result, they used a simple search to retrieve information from the database. Additionally, postgraduate students faced challenges including insufficient guidance, inadequate knowledge, a cumbersome registration process, poor search skills, poor internet quality, resource allocation issues, and insufficient time for use. Conclusions and recommendations The UpToDate Database is crucial for accessing clinical information; however, it was underutilized by postgraduate students. Therefore, librarians should find effective ways to communicate with healthcare practitioners to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to provide accurate medical services. The institution should prioritize the UpToDate database to simplify access to medical expertise, thereby improving patient outcomes and institutional performance.
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DOI: 10.4314/0wpabe04
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