Objectives: To understand the impact of GeneInsight Clinic (GIC), a web-based tool designed to manage genetic information and facilitate communication of test results and variant updates from the laboratory to the clinics, we measured the use of GIC and the time it took for new genetic knowledge to be available to clinicians.
Methods: Usage data were collected across four study sites for the GIC launch and post-GIC implementation time periods. The primary outcome measures were the time (average number of days) between variant change approval and notification of clinic staff, and the time between notification and viewing the patient record.
Results: Post-GIC, time between a variant change approval and provider notification was shorter than at launch (average days at launch 503.8, compared to 4.1 days post-GIC). After e-mail alerts were sent at launch, providers clicked into the patient record associated with 91% of these alerts. In the post period, clinic providers clicked into the patient record associated with 95% of the alerts, on average 12 days after the e-mail was sent.
Discussion: We found that GIC greatly increased the likelihood that a provider would receive updated variant information as well as reduced the time associated with distributing that variant information, thus providing a more efficient process for incorporating new genetic knowledge into clinical care.
Conclusions: Our study results demonstrate that health information technology systems have the potential effectively to assist providers in utilizing genetic information in patient care.
Keywords: Genetics; Laboratory Software; Medical Informatics Applications.