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1.
Ana G Ugaz C. Trenton Boyd Vicki F Croft Esther E Carrigan Katherine M Anderson 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(4):282-292
Objective:
This paper presents the methods and results of a study designed to produce the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials,” which was established by the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section in 1976 and last updated in 1986.Methods:
A set of 238 titles were evaluated using a decision matrix in order to systematically assign points for both objective and subjective criteria and determine an overall score for each journal. Criteria included: coverage in four major indexes, scholarly impact rank as tracked in two sources, identification as a recommended journal in preparing for specialty board examinations, and a veterinary librarian survey rating.Results:
Of the 238 titles considered, a minimum scoring threshold determined the 123 (52%) journals that constituted the final list. The 36 subject categories represented on the list include general and specialty disciplines in veterinary medicine. A ranked list of journals and a list by subject category were produced.Conclusion:
Serials appearing on the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” met expanded objective measures of quality and impact as well as subjective perceptions of value by both librarians and veterinary practitioners.Highlights
- The 123 journals on the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” include 117 journals with a decision matrix score of 15 points or higher, with an additional 6 journals included for more complete subject representation.
- Subject categories with the greatest number of journals are internal medicine, food animal medicine, and research.
- Updates for the third edition of the “Basic List” include 59 new titles and 13 new subject categories.
Implications
- The third edition of the “Basic List” provides a useful collection development and assessment tool for veterinary libraries, as well as general libraries with a need to develop a core collection of veterinary resources.
- The decision matrix approach, using standard quantitative and focused qualitative measures, provides a useful methodology for creating core lists in other disciplines.
2.
Objectives:
The study updates Schloman''s 1997 study, “Mapping the Literature of Health Education.” The authors identify an updated list of core health education journals and determine the coverage of these journals by electronic indexes.Methods:
Citations from four source journals for the years 2006 to 2008 were analyzed using the established methodology of the “Mapping the Literature of Allied Health Project.” The cited journals were divided into three zones of productivity by using Bradford''s Law of Scattering.Results:
There were 19,907 citations in 602 source articles. Journal articles were the most commonly cited format type. Of the 1,896 journal titles cited, 20 (1.1%) made up the core journals. Together, the fields of medicine, health education, and psychology accounted for 85.0% of the journals in the core. Self-citation was found to be a common practice in the source journals. Scopus had the broadest journal coverage of the indexes examined.Conclusions:
The results of this study provide a new picture of the health education literature: The volume has grown significantly, cites older materials, and relies less on sexual health journals and more on psychology journals.Highlights
- Three of the four health education journals in this study showed a statistically significant increase in the number of journal articles published since 1993.
- The majority of core journals in the field are from medicine (35.0%), health education (30.0%), and psychology (20.0%), with the largest change in core journal make-up being an increase in psychology journals.
- Scopus provided the most thorough coverage of the cited journals, followed by MEDLINE, Social Sciences Citation Index, and CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
Implications
- Reference librarians should instruct users on more sophisticated ways to manage the growing volume of the health education literature.
- Collection development librarians may need to purchase and retain older materials to support health education research.
- Librarians should purchase and direct patrons to a variety of databases to completely cover the literature of medicine, health education, and psychology.
3.
Suzanne F Grefsheim Susan C Whitmore Barbara A Rapp Jocelyn A Rankin Rex R Robison Candace C Canto 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(2):147-156
Background:
To encourage evidence-based practice, an Annals of Internal Medicine editorial called for a new professional on clinical teams: an informationist trained in science or medicine as well as information science.Objectives:
The study explored the effects of informationists on information behaviors of clinical research teams, specifically, frequency of seeking information for clinical or research decisions, range of resources consulted, perceptions about access to information, confidence in adequacy of literature searches, and effects on decision making and practice. It also explored perceptions about training and experience needed for successful informationists.Methods:
Exploratory focus groups and key interviews were followed by baseline and follow-up surveys conducted with researchers and clinicians receiving the service. Survey data were analyzed with Pearson''s chi-square or Fisher''s exact test.Results:
Comparing 2006 to 2004 survey responses, the researchers found that study participants reported: seeking answers to questions more frequently, spending more time seeking or using information, believing time was less of an obstacle to finding or using information, using more information resources, and feeling greater satisfaction with their ability to find answers. Participants'' opinions on informationists'' qualifications evolved to include both subject knowledge and information searching expertise.Conclusion:
Over time, clinical research teams with informationists demonstrated changes in their information behaviors, and they valued an informationist''s subject matter expertise more.Highlights
- Informationist involvement in traditional team activities—going on rounds and searching and critically evaluating the literature—increased over time.
- As the relationship between a clinical team and informationist developed, activities expanded to include projects such as development of wikis, databases, and websites.
- Clinical teams came to view subject knowledge as key to an informationist''s preparation; however, their expertise as information scientists was valued most highly.
- “Initiative,” approaching research staff in their workplace, was the one personal trait focus group participants agreed on as most desirable for an informationist.
- When first introduced to the concept, researchers cited customization of services to team needs as a major benefit.
Implications
- To assure a successful informationist program, libraries must be prepared to commit time and money.
- Whether informationists or not, librarians should be prepared to support users'' increased need for genetics and molecular biology information.
4.
5.
T. Elizabeth Workman Marcelo Fiszman John F Hurdle Thomas C Rindflesch 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(4):273-281
Objective:
This paper examines the development and evaluation of an automatic summarization system in the domain of molecular genetics. The system is a potential component of an advanced biomedical information management application called Semantic MEDLINE and could assist librarians in developing secondary databases of genetic information extracted from the primary literature.Methods:
An existing summarization system was modified for identifying biomedical text relevant to the genetic etiology of disease. The summarization system was evaluated on the task of identifying data describing genes associated with bladder cancer in MEDLINE citations. A gold standard was produced using records from Genetics Home Reference and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Genes in text found by the system were compared to the gold standard. Recall, precision, and F-measure were calculated.Results:
The system achieved recall of 46%, and precision of 88% (F-measure = 0.61) by taking Gene References into Function (GeneRIFs) into account.Conclusion:
The new summarization schema for genetic etiology has potential as a component in Semantic MEDLINE to support the work of data curators.Highlights
- Semantic MEDLINE streamlines information retrieval by succinctly expressing the meaning of sometimes complicated text and summarizing output according to a user''s needs.
- Semantic MEDLINE identifies genes noted in biomedical text as associated with a disease process.
- Semantic MEDLINE can potentially simplify secondary database curation.
Implications
- Library information retrieval services can potentially benefit from automated applications such as Semantic MEDLINE.
- Use of such automated applications can facilitate the library''s work in interdepartmental collaborative endeavors, thus reinforcing the library''s core value in its parent institution.
6.
7.
Ana D Cleveland 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):61-69
Purpose:
This lecture discusses a philosophy of educating health information professionals in a rapidly changing health care and information environment.Discussion:
Education for health information professionals must be based upon a solid foundation of the changing paradigms and trends in health care and health information, as well as technological advances, to produce a well-prepared information workforce to meet the demands of health-related environments. Educational programs should begin with the core principles of library and information sciences and expand in interdisciplinary collaborations. A model of the health care environment is presented to serve as a framework for developing educational programs for health information professionals.Conclusion:
Interdisciplinary and collaborative relationships—which merge health care, library and information sciences, and other information-related disciplines—should form the basis of education for health information professionals.Highlights
- Educational pathways for the creation of future health information professionals are charted through the discussion of four major roads.
- A model of the health care environment sets the framework for building educational programs for health information professionals.
Implications
- The presented pathways can inform educational decision making at all levels, including the need to revisit the accreditation bodies of programs educating health information professionals.
- The National Library of Medicine is encouraged to create a workforce center to identify the needs of the profession.
- Interdisciplinary and collaborative partnerships are vital to produce quality graduates who are prepared to handle the complexities of the health care and information environment.
8.
Lana V. Ivanitskaya Kaitlyn A. Hanisko Julie A. Garrison Samantha J. Janson Danielle Vibbert 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2012,100(4):277-283
Objective:
The research identified the skills, if any, that health preprofessional students wished to develop after receiving feedback on skill gaps as well as any strategies they intended to use to address these gaps.Methods:
A qualitative approach was used to elicit students'' reflections on building health information literacy skills. First, the students took the Research Readiness Self-Assessment instrument, which measured their health information literacy, and then they received individually tailored feedback about their scores and skill gaps. Second, students completed a post-assessment survey asking how they intended to close identified gaps in their skills on these. Three trained coders analyzed qualitative comments by 181 students and grouped them into themes relating to “what skills to improve” and “how to improve them.”Results:
Students intended to develop library skills (64% of respondents), Internet skills (63%), and information evaluation skills (63%). Most students reported that they would use library staff members'' assistance (55%), but even more respondents (82%) planned to learn the skills by practicing on their own. Getting help from librarians was a much more popular learning strategy than getting assistance from peers (20%) or professors (17%).Conclusions:
The study highlighted the importance of providing health preprofessional students with resources to improve skills on their own, remote access to library staff members, and instruction on the complexity of building health literacy skills, while also building relationships among students, librarians, and faculty.Highlights
- After receiving feedback on skill gaps, most preprofessional health students intend to develop their information literacy skills.
- Some students report that a trip to the library is a barrier to using library resources.
- Students see the need to build their information evaluation skills, knowledge of citations and plagiarism, and library skills, which they differentiate from Internet skills.
- Students are more likely to identify librarians as sources for assistance in finding information than faculty or peers after receiving individual feedback explaining the role of libraries and library staff members.
Implications
- Students'' health information competencies can be built through assessment and feedback that reveals skill gaps, highlights misconceptions, and offers ideas on how to improve.
- Access to professionally designed self-study resources is needed for students who intend to develop health information competencies on their own.
9.
10.
Objective:
A discourse analysis was conducted of peer-written blogs about the chronic illness endometriosis to understand how bloggers present information sources and make cases for and against the authority of those sources.Methods:
Eleven blogs that were authored by endometriosis patients and focused exclusively or primarily on the authors'' experiences with endometriosis were selected. After selecting segments in which the bloggers invoked forms of knowledge and sources of evidence, the text was discursively analyzed to reveal how bloggers establish and dispute the authority of the sources they invoke.Results:
When discussing and refuting authority, the bloggers invoked many sources of evidence, including experiential, peer-provided, biomedical, and intuitive ones. Additionally, they made and disputed claims of cognitive authority via two interpretive repertoires: a concern about the role and interests of the pharmaceutical industry and an understanding of endometriosis as extremely idiosyncratic. Affective authority of information sources was also identified, which presented as social context, situational similarity, or aesthetic or spiritual factors.Conclusions:
Endometriosis patients may find informational value in blogs, especially for affective support and epistemic experience. Traditional notions of authority might need to be revised for the online environment. Guidelines for evaluating the authority of consumer health information, informed by established readers'' advisory practices, are suggested.Highlights
- Endometriosis patients who blog about the illness may determine authority of information sources through both cognitive and affective methods.
Implications
- Because patients with chronic illnesses might have different authority criteria than medical librarians do, it could be useful to carefully incorporate electronic patient discussion forums, medical blogs written by laypeople, and other nontraditionally authoritative resources into consumer health information selection policies. Standard biomedical resources are certainly important to recommend to consumers, but they do not convey the complete picture of a chronic illness and its related experience.
- Patients with chronic illnesses and caregivers can benefit from sources such as blogs and online discussion lists that provide social and emotional support as well as accounts of “lived experience.”
- An understanding of the patient''s potential epistemological community can make the librarian''s recommendations more appropriate for the individual user.
11.
Objectives:
Standards for evaluating evidence-based medicine (EBM) point-of-care (POC) summaries of research are lacking. The authors developed a “Critical Appraisal for Summaries of Evidence” (CASE) worksheet to help assess the evidence in these tools. The authors then evaluated the reliability of the worksheet.Methods:
The CASE worksheet was developed with 10 questions covering specificity, authorship, reviewers, methods, grading, clarity, citations, currency, bias, and relevancy. Two reviewers independently assessed a random selection of 384 EBM POC summaries using the worksheet. The responses of the raters were then compared using a kappa score.Results:
The kappa statistic demonstrated an overall moderate agreement (κ = 0.44) between the reviewers using the CASE worksheet for the 384 summaries. The 3 categories of evaluation questions in which the reviewers disagreed most often were citations (κ = 0), bias (κ = 0.11), and currency (κ = −0.18).Conclusions:
The CASE worksheet provided an effective checklist for critically analyzing a treatment summary. While the reviewers agreed on worksheet responses for most questions, variation occurred in how the raters navigated the tool and interpreted some of the questions. Further validation of the form by other groups of users should be investigated.Highlights
- Few critical appraisal tools have been evaluated with inter-rater reliability testing.
- The ways that users of evidence-based medicine (EBM) point-of-care (POC) tools interpret how to appraise an evidence summary—particularly when defining the grading of evidence, currency, and bias—may vary even when a standard evaluation sheet is used.
- The Critical Appraisal for Summaries of Evidence (CASE) worksheet had a moderate level of inter-rater reliability, similar to previous evaluative studies of critical appraisals tools.
Implications
- Medical librarians can develop tools useful for librarians, students, and clinicians to guide them in appraising clinical evidence summaries.
- The CASE worksheet can be a valuable tool to consider the quality of individual evidence summaries and to see patterns of overall quality in EBM POC tools.
12.
13.
Ana G Ugaz 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(2):145-152
Objective:
The paper analyzes the journal evaluation criteria used to create the third edition of a core list of veterinary serials to determine the impact of each criterion on the final composition of the list in order to assess the value of using multiple criteria in creating a core list.Methods:
Three additional lists were generated from criteria that were previously combined to prepare the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials”: a list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations, another list based on journals selected by veterinary librarians, and a list based on both indexing coverage and scholarly rank. The top fifteen journals in each of the three lists were then compared to reveal potential biases. Subject representation on the full lists generated by each of these methods was also compared.Results:
The list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations exhibited a focus on clinically relevant titles. The list based on veterinary librarian recommendations resulted in the broadest subject coverage. The list based on indexing and scholarly rank, while emphasizing research titles, produced the largest number of unique titles.Conclusion:
A combination approach that includes objective evaluation measures and practical input, whether from librarians or discipline experts, can improve coverage and can result in a list that balances research-based with clinical practice journals.Highlights
- Analysis of criteria used to create the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” reveals biases inherent in different quality measures that result in different journal emphases.
- Use of indexing or scholarly rank is often thought of as a limiting factor, but in this study, the journals that were scored solely on these two criteria resulted in the inclusion of the greatest number of unique titles.
- Librarian input produced the broadest subject coverage of any list.
Implications
- An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies reveals clear evidence for using both objective and subjective criteria in developing a core list. Collection development decisions would equally benefit from this approach.
- Comparison of the top titles on core lists underscores the value of input from practitioners or discipline experts in collection decisions.
- Bias toward clinical content revealed in the input from the veterinary specialty organizations indicates the importance of understanding the purpose and compilation methods used in creating recommended lists before using them in collection development.
14.
Katalin Kaproncszay László András Magyar Constance E Putnam 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):31-39
Objectives:
The 170-year history of the library of the Royal Society of Medicine in Budapest illustrates both that political and cultural context matter and that “medical” libraries, if they survive, in due course become primarily “medical history” libraries.Methods:
Two of the authors are on the staff of the Semmelweis Medical History Library; the third is a US scholar who makes frequent use of the library. Together, they avail themselves of archival and published materials—and personal experience with the collection—to establish the context that produced the original library, trace its evolution, and describe its present-day incarnation.Results:
A tale of transformation emerges that reflects how collections are likely to change. The authors present events and individuals in the life of the Royal Society''s library and paint a picture of the value of today''s Semmelweis Medical History Library. Unique treasures in the collection are described.Conclusion:
The story told here is of how a particular nineteenth-century library became a twenty-first–century institution. The authors establish its peculiarly Hungarian context and potential value to librarians and historians from outside Hungary. The overall message is that general medical libraries everywhere are perforce likely to become medical historical libraries over time.Highlights
- Context matters. The historical background of a library helps determine its functions and its future; shifts in modes of publishing affect and monetary concerns shape the development and preservation of an historical collection.
- Libraries evolve. Medical libraries undergo a normal and profoundly useful transformation over time into repositories of medical history.
- Books alone do not a library make: Libraries can and should be settings for continuing education, cultural affirmation, and assistance to scholars by preserving and making available for use a variety of sometimes rare archival and published materials.
Implications
- Knowing the political and cultural background of a library is essential to understanding its history as well as its present-day status.
- Preserving and expanding historical collections demands vigilance and creative management, especially under difficult fiscal and political circumstances. The loyal and diligent work of Hungarians and others who helped build and preserve this library can serve as a model for other threatened collections.
- Sharing the story of a relatively unknown library''s development brings its general assets and unique resources to the attention of a wider audience of librarians and scholars. Few outside Hungary have previously had any way of knowing about the Semmelweis Medical History Library''s rich holdings.
15.
Objective:
The research studied the status of hospital librarians and library services to better inform the Medical Library Association''s advocacy activities.Methods:
The Vital Pathways Survey Subcommittee of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians distributed a web-based survey to hospital librarians and academic health sciences library directors. The survey results were compared to data collected in a 1989 survey of hospital libraries by the American Hospital Association in order to identify any trends in hospital libraries, roles of librarians, and library services. A web-based hospital library report form based on the survey questions was also developed to more quickly identify changes in the status of hospital libraries on an ongoing basis.Results:
The greatest change in library services between 1989 and 2005/06 was in the area of access to information, with 40% more of the respondents providing access to commercial online services, 100% more providing access to Internet resources, and 28% more providing training in database searching and use of information resources. Twenty-nine percent (n = 587) of the 2005/06 respondents reported a decrease in staff over the last 5 years.Conclusions:
Survey data support reported trends of consolidation of hospitals and hospital libraries and additions of new services. These services have likely required librarians to acquire new skills. It is hoped that future surveys will be undertaken to continue to study these trends.Highlights
- Data support reported trends in the decrease in the number of hospitals and hospital libraries.
- About 44.0% of hospitals had some level of onsite library service in 1989, compared with between 33.5% and 29.1% of hospitals in 2005/06.
- More electronic services and resources, such as Internet access and online materials, are being offered by hospital libraries, in addition to more traditional services
- Library staffing appears to be more unstable today than in 1989, with more libraries reporting a decrease in the number of staff.
Implications
- Hospital libraries continue to change in response to changes in the health care environment as health care administrators respond to financial pressures, library staff are downsized, degreed librarian positions are eliminated, and reporting structures change.
- MLA must continue to track the status of hospital librarians and libraries in light of the changing environment with surveys and other means, in partnership with others such as the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
16.
Logan Ludwig 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(2):105-134
Objective:
A survey was conducted of health sciences libraries to obtain information about newer buildings, additions, remodeling, and renovations.Method:
An online survey was developed, and announcements of survey availability posted to three major email discussion lists: Medical Library Association (MLA), Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), and MEDLIB-L. Previous discussions of library building projects on email discussion lists, a literature review, personal communications, and the author''s consulting experiences identified additional projects.Results:
Seventy-eight health sciences library building projects at seventy-three institutions are reported. Twenty-two are newer facilities built within the last ten years; two are space expansions; forty-five are renovation projects; and nine are combinations of new and renovated space. Six institutions report multiple or ongoing renovation projects during the last ten years.Conclusions:
The survey results confirm a continuing migration from print-based to digitally based collections and reveal trends in library space design. Some health sciences libraries report loss of space as they move toward creating space for “community” building. Libraries are becoming more proactive in using or retooling space for concentration, collaboration, contemplation, communication, and socialization. All are moving toward a clearer operational vision of the library as the institution''s information nexus and not merely as a physical location with print collections.Highlights
- Seventy-eight health sciences library building projects at seventy-three institutions were reported as completed in the last ten years.
- Five health sciences library projects illustrate the diversity of projects reported.
- Eleven trends in health sciences library buildings are identified.
- Numerous challenges are briefly discussed.
Implications
- Changing services and usage patterns demand innovative ways to use library space.
- Libraries are making more proactive efforts to retool library physical space.
- Migration from print to digital collections is continuing at an accelerated pace.
- More library space is now dedicated for “community” building.
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18.
Ryan S. Rafferty 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2013,101(3):213-217
Objectives:
The research sought to determine if first-year medical students consulted and cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions.Methods:
Students attended a library resources instructional session. Resources that pertained to the students'' assignment were demonstrated and discussed. The students created a report including citations from relevant literature. The citations were analyzed and categorized as: a resource discussed at the instructional session, a resource found on the course LibGuide, a library resource, course material, or some other resource. All citations were subcategorized as print or electronic.Results:
Three years (2008–2011) of data analyzing 2,983 citations showed that 49.55% of all citations were from resources discussed during library instructional sessions; 21.86% came from resources with links on the course LibGuide; 77.51% were from library resources; and 90.68% came from electronic resources.Conclusion:
Students cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assignments. The percentage of all citations coming from resources highlighted during the instructional sessions or found on the course LibGuide indicates that library instruction had an impact on the students'' work.Highlights
- Review of the literature shows that instruction about library resources accompanied by clear guidelines on scholarly research methods and resources provided by course instructors have the biggest impact on the quality of cited materials in student bibliographies.
- Graduate medical students cited library resources more frequently than nonlibrary resources for their assigned coursework.
- Graduate medical students cited materials and resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assigned coursework.
Implications
- Instruction about library resources tailored to medical students'' assignments impacts the resources that the students consult and cite for their assignments.
- Using the information gathered from citation analysis to modify teaching plans can impact the effectiveness of library instructional sessions.
19.
Joanne Gard Marshall Julia Sollenberger Sharon Easterby-Gannett Lynn Kasner Morgan Mary Lou Klem Susan K. Cavanaugh Kathleen Burr Oliver Cheryl A. Thompson Neil Romanosky Sue Hunter 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2013,101(1):38-46
Objective:
The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care.Methods:
The study used: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care.Results:
Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%).Conclusions:
Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.Highlights
- Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.
- Electronic access to information resources from multiple locations has increased the ability of health professionals to use these resources for improved patient care.
- The roles of librarians are diversifying to include management of electronic resources, user instruction and support, specialized research and clinical information search services, and involvement in institution-level quality improvement.
- It is possible to conduct a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library services on patient care.
Implications
- Ongoing studies of the value and impact of library and information resources will be important for advocacy and quality improvement.
- Community-Based Participative Research methods hold promise as a way of ensuring the relevance of future research.
20.
Julie G. Kosteniuk Debra G. Morgan Carl K. D'Arcy 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2013,101(1):32-37
Objectives:
The research determined (1) the information sources that family physicians (FPs) most commonly use to update their general medical knowledge and to make specific clinical decisions, and (2) the information sources FPs found to be most physically accessible, intellectually accessible (easy to understand), reliable (trustworthy), and relevant to their needs.Methods:
A cross-sectional postal survey of 792 FPs and locum tenens, in full-time or part-time medical practice, currently practicing or on leave of absence in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan was conducted during the period of January to April 2008.Results:
Of 666 eligible physicians, 331 completed and returned surveys, resulting in a response rate of 49.7% (331/666). Medical textbooks and colleagues in the main patient care setting were the top 2 sources for the purpose of making specific clinical decisions. Medical textbooks were most frequently considered by FPs to be reliable (trustworthy), and colleagues in the main patient care setting were most physically accessible (easy to access).Conclusions:
When making specific clinical decisions, FPs were most likely to use information from sources that they considered to be reliable and generally physically accessible, suggesting that FPs can best be supported by facilitating easy and convenient access to high-quality information.Highlights
- Medical textbooks were the most popular information source for family physicians'' (FPs'') clinical decision-making purposes, and medical journals were the most popular information source for the purpose of updating FPs'' general medical knowledge.
- FPs considered medical textbooks to be the most reliable (trustworthy) source, colleagues the most physically accessible, and continuing medical education the most relevant and intellectually accessible.
- The lowest ranked information sources across all four attributes were personal digital assistants, mental health professionals, pharmaceutical sales representatives, and other decision aids.
Implications
- The most popular information sources for clinical decision-making purposes among FPs were sources characterized as reliable and generally physically accessible.
- This study suggests the need for further research into interventions that target information access barriers in FPs'' practice settings and the promotion of reliable evidence for FPs'' clinical decision-making purposes.