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Computerized literature searching in a teaching family practice center
M A Bowman1, T E Poe, S W Davis
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27103.
Family Practice Research Journal
|March 1, 1991
Summary
Family practice residents infrequently used computerized literature searching, preferring faculty assistance. Despite unsophisticated strategies, the system proved moderately successful and warrants continuation for physician information needs.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Information Science
- Family Medicine Education
Background:
- Implementing computerized literature searching in family practice residency programs requires effective training and user engagement.
- Physicians increasingly need efficient access to evidence-based information for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utilization and user satisfaction of a computerized literature searching system (BRS Colleague) in a family practice residency setting.
- To assess the impact of computerized literature searching on information access for physicians.
Main Methods:
- A 15-month study involving 147 searches conducted primarily by faculty using BRS Colleague after initial training.
- Analysis of search frequency, user preferences, search strategy sophistication, time spent, and user satisfaction.
Main Results:
- Faculty conducted most searches (mean 6.4 searches/user); residents rarely used the system independently.
- Moderate user satisfaction (2.4/5) was reported, with unsophisticated search strategies and short search durations (5-20 minutes).
- Median of 15 documents retrieved per search.
Conclusions:
- Computerized literature searching can be a valuable tool for meeting physicians' information needs, despite challenges in resident adoption.
- The program demonstrated sufficient success to justify its continuation and further optimization.
- Enhancing resident training and support may improve system utilization.