How do clinicians use, experience, and value applications of outcome information in daily care? A mixed-methods study.
Yara Van Kooij, Nina Loos, Grada Arends and 5 others
PMID 40105425WHAT IT FOUND
Clinicians found dashboards most useful for patient goals and pain/function screening, which helped focus conversations.
Mental health screens and prediction models were used less, seen as valuable only when expectations clashed or extreme values appeared. Eye contact loss was a concern.
Key findings
01Personal requests for help and individual treatment goals were the most frequently used applications during intake, with a median survey score of 8.0.
02Clinicians valued pain and function screening tools highly (median 8.0) but deemed mental health screens and prediction models less valuable overall.
03Perceived value depended on clinical context: prediction models helped manage unrealistic expectations, while mental health screens were useful only when extreme values were detected.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The survey response rate was low (56 of 173 invited), and participants may have been more enthusiastic about technology than non-responders. The study population was young (median age 18-35 for many), which may bias results toward positive views of digital tools. Most data came from a specialized hand and wrist clinic, so findings may not generalize to other settings. Eye contact disruption was a recurring theme, suggesting that screen-based tools can negatively impact the therapeutic relationship if not managed carefully.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest declared. Funded by ZonMw, which had no role in the study design or analysis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all digital outcome tools are equally useful or that clinicians automatically trust them. The study shows that prediction models and mental health screens were often viewed as less valuable or intrusive, particularly if they disrupted eye contact or seemed to override clinical judgment.