Health care providers' information seeking: recent research

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Information Science
• Medical Education

Background:

• Understanding how healthcare providers seek information is crucial for effective knowledge dissemination.
• Previous research indicates a reliance on specific information sources within the medical community.
• The digital revolution has significantly altered information access, prompting a re-evaluation of provider behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze studies on the information-seeking behavior of healthcare providers.
• To identify trends and patterns in the sources used by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals since 1990.
• To compare self-report data with observational data regarding information source utilization.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 39 studies and 9 reviews published from 1990 onwards.
• Inclusion of research from multidisciplinary teams using quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• Analysis of both self-report and observational data on information-seeking behavior.

Main Results:

• Healthcare providers continue to use the same information sources as they did two decades ago, despite increased online availability.
• Self-report studies indicate a preference for published literature over colleague advice.
• Observational studies reveal a higher utilization of colleague advice compared to published literature.

Conclusions:

• Information-seeking behaviors among healthcare providers have shown remarkable stability over time.
• A discrepancy exists between self-reported and observed information source preferences.
• Future interventions should consider these persistent behaviors when developing knowledge management strategies for healthcare professionals.