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Published on: August 1, 2019
The information-seeking behaviour of paediatricians accessing web-based resources
T W Prendiville1, J Saunders, J Fitzsimons
1Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland. tprendi1@jhmi.edu
Insights
Paediatricians increasingly rely on the internet for clinical queries, with most finding web-based resources essential for evidence-based medicine and improved patient care. Keeping up-to-date remains a challenge.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Pediatric Practice
- Information Science
Background:
- Understanding how pediatricians seek information is crucial for optimizing medical resources.
- Everyday clinical queries require efficient and reliable information retrieval methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the information-seeking behaviors of pediatricians when addressing clinical questions.
- To assess the perceived value and impact of web-based resources in pediatric practice.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire survey was distributed to hospital-based pediatricians (registrars and consultants) in Ireland.
- Data from 156 completed questionnaires were analyzed, representing a 66.1% response rate.
Main Results:
- 67% of pediatricians use the internet as their primary resource for medical questions.
- 85% believe web-based resources enhance medical practice, with 88% deeming them essential.
- 93.5% consider addressing clinical questions promptly vital for evidence-based medicine.
Conclusions:
- Web-based resources are increasingly significant in daily pediatric practice, influencing patient care quality.
- Information technology aids physicians in efficiently resolving clinical queries at the point of care.
- Despite the benefits, challenges persist in keeping pace with new medical information.
Objectives:
To establish the information-seeking behaviours of paediatricians in answering every-day clinical queries.
Design:
A questionnaire was distributed to every hospital-based paediatrician (paediatric registrar and consultant) working in Ireland.
Results:
The study received 156 completed questionnaires, a 66.1% response. 67% of paediatricians utilised the internet as their first "port of call" when looking to answer a medical question. 85% believe that web-based resources have improved medical practice, with 88% reporting web-based resources are essential for medical practice today. 93.5% of paediatricians believe attempting to answer clinical questions as they arise is an important component in practising evidence-based medicine. 54% of all paediatricians have recommended websites to parents or patients. 75.5% of paediatricians report finding it difficult to keep up-to-date with new information relevant to their practice.
Conclusions:
Web-based paediatric resources are of increasing significance in day-to-day clinical practice. Many paediatricians now believe that the quality of patient care depends on it. Information technology resources play a key role in helping physicians to deliver, in a time-efficient manner, solutions to clinical queries at the point of care.
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