Table 3 Planned improvements

Increased support for French language/translated content in the database

Canada is an officially bilingual country, and we want to provide access, where possible, to French content

Usage statistics;

Web analytics;

Satisfaction surveys

Integration with clinical systems

Suggested by professional users, members of the Portal Expert Advisory Committee; aligns with the desire to have resources that are useful and efficient at clinical point of care. Clinician content has been indexed with SNOMED-CT; however, additional resources are required to complete

Formative evaluation

Increased linkages between related records

Improve navigation using shared indexing/taxonomies; e.g., linking professional record to content for citizens

Web analytics

Improved ‘social sharing’ of database records

Suggested by actual users and the Portal marketing team. Implemented using commercial Software-as-a-Service social sharing tools, e.g., AddThis and/or custom programming

Sharing analytics

More granular alerts and personalization by specific topics and sub-topics

Suggested by actual users and the clinicians on the Portal development team. Additional resources are required to implement

Formative evaluation;

Needs assessment

Further user testing with target audience to improve usability

On-going activity, as part of continuous quality improvement approach

User testing;

Satisfaction surveys

Information retrieval analysis to investigate the search behavior of professional users and improve search engine functionality and effectiveness

Suggested by Portal development team

Feasibility analysis

Addition of other types of records, such as social science-related evidence and decision aids for clinicians to use with patients

Suggested by the Portal Steering Committee and Expert Advisory Committee

Focus groups;

User testing;

Satisfaction surveys