Abstract:
Due to limited time, physicians often find it challenging to find the exact answers to their questions among search engine results; however, question and answer (Q&A) systems can facilitate more rapidly identify accurate solutions. This study aims to develop and evaluate a Q&A system for physicians at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Four clinical and informatics experts and the two health information managers agreed on 19 features and themes throughout two focus group meetings. Subsequently, a system was developed on a MySQL database using the PHP web development language and then uploaded to the web. Finally, the system was opened up to 40 users and, over three months, evaluated using a community evaluation questionnaire and the six-dimension Users’ Experience Questionnaire. The focus group results in determining the features of the Q&A system consisted of 19 requirements. The average attractiveness, perspicuity, efficiency, dependability, stimulation, and novelty were equal to 1.76, 1.625, 1.9, 1.425, 1.475, and 1.375, respectively. The Q&A system improved the tasks such as share of knowledge, transfer of information, social partnership, and cooperation among users. The physicians were able to obtain the information they required through contact with their co-practitioners over the system.
Machine summary:
Introduction Unlike automated search engines, question and answer (Q&A) systems were developed to use human knowledge to respond to users' information needs (Agichtein, Castillo, Donato, Gionis & Mishne, 2008; Lee et al.
Gaining information from the Internet can influence the way people decide on various matters (Maijala, Anttila, Koivunen, Pitkanen, Kuosmanen & Valimaki, 2015; Vinker, Weinfass, Kasinetz, Kitai & Kaiserman, 2007).
Although accessible to physicians on the Internet, locating and interpreting this clinical evidence is generally time-consuming due to the extensive amounts of information available online and the high volume of physicians' ever-expanding records (Liu, Bian & Agichtein, 2008; Richardson, Wilson, Nishikawa & Hayward, 1995).
found that the use of information and communication technology and smartphone applications strengthens relationships between researchers, physicians, other healthcare providers, and patients by using caring methods and strategy explained unique methods which are needed for the rest of caring (Kahn, Yang & Kahn, 2010; Mirnia, Soltani, Rezaei, Heidarzadeh & Piri, 2014).
Similarly, (Ely, Osheroff, Chambliss, Ebell & Rosenbaum, 2005) stated that their Q&A system played an essential role in increasing the speed of information sharing in a scientific society, thereby allowing for timely and relevant answers to users' questions regardless of time and location limitations.
This is consistent with several previous studies (Koh & Kim, 2004; Kwahk & Park, 2016; Lin, Hung & Chen, 2009), which also showed that sharing knowledge in a virtual community setting promotes social partnership: Those actively engaged in a virtual community can obtain the information they require by interacting with colleagues in their field.
Today, users can directly share knowledge by publishing information electronically, and those active in virtual communities can use these systems to answer questions.