Welcome to the IAM wiki!

"I think, therefore IAM" (Descartes, Discourse on the Method, 1637)

The Information Assessment Method (IAM) systematically documents reflection on relevance, cognitive impact, use and health outcomes of objects of information delivered or retrieved in electronic knowledge resources. IAM can enhance continuing education (reflective learning), evaluation of resources, and two-way knowledge exchange between information users and providers.

On this wiki, we provide references to the research and development behind IAM, which has been linked to (1) email alerts, (2) information retrieval technology, and (3) clinical decision support systems.

Using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies, we have documented the feasibility, content validity, construct validity, and substantive validity (theoretical rationale) of the IAM checklist. When combined with a technique called Computerized Ecological Momentary Assessment, IAM can  efficiently evaluate the ‘relevance-impact-use-outcomes’ of information objects retrieved from (pull) or delivered by (push) electronic knowledge resources.

Cite this website as follows: Information Technology Primary Care Research Group. The Information Assessment Method. Department of Family Medicine, McGill University. 2009-05-19. URL:http://iam2009.pbworks.com/FrontPage. Accessed: 2009-05-19. (Archived by WebCite^® athttp://www.webcitation.org/5gsxVzICm)

Contact us: roland.grad@mcgill.ca or pierre.pluye@mcgill.ca

Information Technology Primary Care Research Group, McGill University, Department of Family Medicine, 517 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2W 1S4. Tel.: 514-398-7375.

Links to screenshots, conference slides and published papers. 

• See IAM (version 2008), as used by thousands of Canadian physicians to rate InfoPOEMs:

  • IAM_2008_CEC_version_cma.ca_English_20090407b.pptx

  • IAM_2008_CCC_version_cma.ca_French_20090407b.pptx

• See IAM (version 2008), as used by the Canadian Pharmacists Association to obtain feedback on eTherapeutics+ highlights:

  • IAMpushCPhAfigure20090505allinone.pdf

     

• IAM is a "KT tool" according to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research

  • http://ktclearinghouse.ca/kttools/generictools/iam 

• Understanding how health professionals use (or don’t use) electronic knowledge resources: The Information Assessment Method. Third International Symposium on Medical Information & Communication Technology, February 25 2009. Keynote 20090225.pdf

• Content validation of the Information Assessment Method. Information Technology and Communication in Health, ITCH conference, February 21, 2009. Victoria, BC. IAM content validation ITCH 20090221.ppt

• IAM Gene Messenger 2009.12.03.pptx

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grad RM, Pluye P,Granikov V, Johnson-Lafleur J.How often do family physicians manually update their software on handheld computer? Observations from a prospective cohort study. Informatics in Primary Care 2010 (in press).

 Pluye P, Grad RM, Repchinsky C, Farrell B, Johnson-Lafleur J, Bambrick T et al. (2009). IAM: A comprehensive and systematic information assessment method for electronic knowledge resources. In A. Dwivedi (ed.), Handbook of Research on IT Management and Clinical Data Administration in Healthcare (chapter XXXIII). Hershey: IGI Publishing

Wang R, Bartlett G, Grad RM, Pluye P. The Cognitive Impact of Research Synopses on Physicians. Informatics in Primary Care 2009 Volume 17, Number 2, pp. 79-86(8).

Grad RM, Pluye P, Mercer J, Marlow B, Beauchamp ME, Shulha M, Johnson-Lafleur J, Dauphinee SW. Impact of Research based Synopses Delivered as Daily email: A Prospective Observational Study. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2008;15(2):240-45.

Pluye P, Grad RM, Mysore N, Knaapen L, Johnson-Lafleur J & Dawes M (2007). Systematically Assessing the Situational Relevance of Electronic Knowledge Resources: A Mixed Methods study. JAMIA 14:616-25.

Pluye P, Grad RM, Dawes M & Bartlett JC (2007). Seven reasons why family physicians search clinical information-retrieval technology: Toward an organizational model. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 13(1):39-49.

Grad RM, Pluye P, Hanley J, Marlow, B, Macaulay A & Dalkir K (2007). Validation of a Method to Assess the Impact of Electronic Knowledge Resources on Clinicians. e-Service Journal, 5(2):e113. http://dx.doi.org/10.2979/ESJ.2007.5.2.113.

Pluye P & Grad R (2006). Cognitive impact assessment of electronic knowledge resources: A mixed methods evaluation study of a handheld prototype. AMIA 2006 Symposium Proceedings: 634-638.

Pluye P, Grad RM, Dunikowski L & Stephenson R (2005). The Impact of Clinical Information-Retrieval Technology on Physicians: A Literature Review of Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed-method Studies, International Journal of Medical Informatics, 74(9):745-768.

Pluye P, Grad RM, Stephenson R & Dunikowski L (2005) A new impact assessment method to evaluate knowledge resources. AMIA 2005 Symposium Proceedings: 609-613.

Grad RM, Pluye P, Meng Y, Segal B & Tamblyn R (2005). Assessing the impact of clinical information-retrieval technology in a Family Practice Residency. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice,11(6):576-586.

Pluye P & Grad RM (2004). How information retrieval technology may impact on physician practice: An organisational case study in family medicine. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 10(3), 413-430.