Buprenorphine PA Progress 2008-09
From Clinicaltools.com
Contents |
Project Guide
SBIR Phase II Contract #HHSN271200555303C
ADB Contract No. N43-DA-5-5530
Title: Online Buprenorphine Practice Manager for Physicians
PI: T. Bradley Tanner, MD; Clinical Tools, Inc.
Monthly Progress Report #26 of 31
Reporting Period: 9/1/08 – 9/30/08
Overview
In September, we made further refinements to the interface, continued development of the My Practice Page feature, and successfully recruited nearly 300 possible participants for evaluations, which will begin in October.
Progress During September 2008
Objective 1:
Develop the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor content
- The final content review continued in September. Two consultants completed their reviews, and several others sent partial reviews. So far the comments are minor and involve revising the wording for a few "advice" items or adding some text. We have asked consultants to complete their reviews by by the end of October, then we will incorporate comments in November.
Objective 2:
Develop the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor interface
- Modifications and improvements to the site design were implemented. Since the current design template causes some technical problems due to incompatibility with the most recent version of the CMS, a new template was selected and its design is being updated for use on the site. Additional improvements were made to the appearance and usability of the home page, including the addition of dynamic features such as polls and tracking of popular and new content. The home page was also updated with additional images and graphics to provide a more contemporary and attractive appearance. To improve usability, more prominent links and large clickable titles and images were incorporated on the page.
Objective 3:
Develop all software/programming for the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor
- We continued to develop and improve functionality on the website using the new content management system (CMS). New features implemented on the site include advanced administrative tools, comprehensive analytics and usage tracking tools, modules to provide enhanced graphics and visual effects, and functionality to allow users to "subscribe" to site content.
- A more extensive taxonomy/tagging system was developed so resources and other content can be better classified and searched. Content was tagged with terms from the new vocabularies, and functionality was implemented to display associated taxonomy terms with content on the site. This will make it easy for users to quickly find related content and resources. In addition, testing and implementation of a new "faceted" search function was initiated. In addition to the keyword and topic-based search tools already on the site, this feature will allow users to continually refine their results as they view resources selected by multiple criteria.
- Development of the My Practice Page feature continued. This feature will allow users to create a custom home page where they display information about their practice. We assessed desired features and designs by evaluating similar physician websites, and combined this information with findings from previous usability tests to develop a design mockup. Then we began implementing the core functionality for this feature.
Objective 4:
Conduct a series of evaluations on the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor website
- We worked on recruitment for the next evaluation. We developed an online survey to recruit members of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), and our contact at ASAM sent an email to members with a link to the survey. Over 200 buprenorphine-waivered physicians ("interesteds") signed up to participate in our final evaluation survey. We organized the responses by specialty and prescribing status in preparation for the final evaluation.
Work to be Performed in the Next Reporting Period
Objective 1:
Develop the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor content
- Integrate consultant feedback regarding content.
Objective 2:
Develop the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor interface
- Continue to refine the home page design and the site interface to give it a more polished look.
Objective 3:
Develop all software/programming for the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor
- Finish interface design and usability testing of the My Practice Page feature.
- Incorporate functionality for user blogs and user groups on the site
- Finish implementation of the "Faceted Search" feature for Resources
- Continue testing all website functionality in preparation for final evaluations.
Objective 4:
Conduct a series of evaluations on the Buprenorphine Practice Advisor website
- Finish writing final evaluation surveys.
- Recruit and survey physicians who are not waivered to prescribe buprenorphine ("referrers").
- Begin final evaluation.
Contact
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at (919) 960-8118 or tanner at clinicaltools dot com.
T. Bradley Tanner, MD (President, Clinical Tools, Inc.)
Other Progress Reports
August 2008 • September 2008 • October 2008 • November 2008 • December 2008
