P16S08: Constipation (magnesium citrate)
Bottom line: Information on constipation was used to justify the
management of a patient (justify the physician’s prescription of a laxative: magnesium citrate). There were no information-related
patient health outcomes.
Level 1 outcome (situational relevance): On January 29, 2009, P16 did a search at work, by themselves, and after
an encounter with another health professional (a dietician). They retrieved one
information hit about the dose of
magnesium citrate for laxative use. The reported search
objectives were: to address a clinical question, to look up something they had
forgotten, and to exchange information with other health professionals. “The story was that the physician had told her
[the patient, an elderly woman] to take it [magnesium citrate], but she wasn’t
sure how to take it and what to do. […][The patient is from] a remote
community and so the dietician was up there, seeing the patient for something
else and then, she [the patient] was talking about her constipation as well.
And so then, it came out. And she [the patient] said “well, the physician told me to take
this but I don’t know how to take it”. […] I was giving the information to the dietician
to get back to the patient. [The clinical question was] “How would the patient take magnesium
citrate for constipation?”. […] I haven’t use magnesium citrate in a long time
so I didn’t remember off the top of my head the dosing.” According to P16,
e-Therapeutics+ was the only source for information, and the found information
was relevant.
Level 2 outcome (cognitive impact): One hit was associated with a report of positive cognitive impact (see table). Regarding
confirmation, reassurance and reminder, P16 stated: “I think it was more to kind of revisit what I
should have remembered. […][I was reassured] because it
matched what I had in mind, [because] […] I had forgotten [about] the dosing.”
Retrieved
information hit:
1) e-Therapeutics+ (CIRT): e-CPS – Keyword: Magnesium citrate – Magnesium salts – Table 3 – Constipation (P16S08H02)
Level 3 outcome
(information use): Information on dose of Magnesium citrate for laxative use was retrieved,
and used to justify the management of a patient (information used as presented
in e-Therapeutics+). “I emailed the dietician back [the found
information]. She called back and say thank you, she’ll pass it on [to the
patient]. […] Maybe it’s not so much to maintain but just
to provide information to the patient as to how to take it, to justify it, [and] make sure the
patient was aware of how to take it.”
Level 4 outcome (patient health): Health outcomes were unknown since there was no follow-up with the
health professional or the patient.
Levels of outcome of information-seeking
|
Situational relevance |
Positive cognitive
impact |
Information use |
Patient health |
|
Address a clinical question Look up something forgotten Exchange information |
Reminded something Confirmed Reassured |
Justify choice |
No outcome |