Defining the eHealth information niche in the family physician/patient examination and knowledge transfer process

This research study was undertaken to gain a richer understanding of the use of patient-introduced online health information during the physician/patient examination and knowledge transfer process. Utilizing qualitative data obtained from ten family physician interviews and workflow modeling using activity diagrams and task structure charts, this study uncovered patient-introduced online health information frequency, physician suggested online resources, use of email for physician/patient communication, use of electronic medical records, along with tasks involved and methods used by the physicians to work the online health information into the physician/ patient examination process.;In addition the data analysis provided an understanding of the physicians' objectives and desired outcomes during the examination, their definition of patient health literacy and physician productivity values along with the tools, rules, community and division of labor utilized in their clinical practice. The study found the niche for eHealth information was in the "communicates with patient" subtask in the "physician examining patient" activity where it was used as a nontangible tool by the physicians. This research has theoretical relevance for those interested in how workflow can be modeled using activity diagrams and task structure charts, as well as practical applications for analyzing productivity improvement for clinical practices.