Online information search behaviour of physicians

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Physicians increasingly use online resources for medical practice.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the effectiveness of various online information sources for doctors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how doctors utilize online information sources to meet needs in patient care, knowledge development, and research.
• To examine the impact of fulfilling these information needs on doctors' perceived competence.

Main Methods:

• Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed.
• Primary survey data from 303 physicians in four major Greek hospitals were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Authoritative online sources effectively met all types of information needs.
• Non-authoritative sources had no significant impact on fulfilling information requirements.
• Satisfying information needs for patient care and research improved perceived competence.
• Meeting knowledge development needs negatively impacted perceived competence.

Conclusions:

• Physicians frequently use non-authoritative online sources, but these offer no significant value.
• Authoritative online information sources enhance perceived medical practice competence by addressing diverse physician needs.