The GP evidence website: focus-group evaluation study of a new point-of-care information resource

Background The GPEvidence website is a new point of care information resource aimed at general practitioners, providing quantitative information on the benefits and harms of treatments for common long-term conditions, an identified gap in clinicians’ knowledge.

Aim To explore whether the clinical content in GPEvidence can be accessed and understood by GPs in a way which can be integrated into their clinical thinking and decision making.

Design & setting Online questionnaire and focus group with British General Practitioners

Method Online focus groups. Within these, participants were first invited to consider hypothetical treatment decisions based on fictional clinical vignettes, then give individual responses about their anticipated consultation and treatment intentions in an online survey. This was followed by an online semi-structured focus group discussion. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, and quantitative data presented as summary statistics.

Results In the main, the clinical content of GPEvidence was easily understood by GPs. Changes in intended prescribing and discussions with patient were described, as well as increases in confidence. Some barriers to use were identified mainly relating to competing system pressures.

Conclusion This study confirms the usability of GPEvidence and suggests it has potential to introduce new information and influence practice. This could support shared decision-making and person-centred practice. It is a preliminary study with limitations, and further research is needed to assess its impact in real-world settings.