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Physicians' preferences for information sources: a meta-analytic study

J D Haug1

  • 1Academic Library Services, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858, USA.

Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
|July 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Physicians primarily use journals and books for clinical and research information. Consulting colleagues is also a frequent method for obtaining answers to medical questions.

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Area of Science:

  • Health Sciences Librarianship
  • Medical Information Retrieval
  • Physician Information Needs

Background:

  • Understanding physician information resource preferences is crucial for health sciences librarianship and medical practice.
  • Previous studies on physician information sources have limitations, including small sample sizes and varied methodologies, hindering generalizability.
  • Meta-analysis offers a robust method to synthesize findings from multiple studies and overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and rank the preferred information resources used by physicians for clinical practice and medical research.
  • To aggregate and analyze data from multiple studies using a meta-analytic approach.
  • To discuss the implications of physician information-seeking behaviors for health sciences librarianship.

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Main Methods:

  • A meta-analytic procedure was employed to review twelve studies published between 1978 and 1992.
  • Physicians' preferred information sources were categorized and ranked within each study.
  • Frequencies of top six preferences, including first and second preferences, were aggregated across all study populations.

Main Results:

  • Journals and books were identified as the most preferred information sources for physicians.
  • Consulting colleagues emerged as a significant method for physicians seeking answers to clinical and research questions.
  • Consistent patterns in information source preferences were observed across different study populations.

Conclusions:

  • Physicians rely heavily on traditional resources like journals and books.
  • Peer consultation plays a vital role in physicians' information acquisition strategies.
  • Health sciences librarianship must adapt to support these preferred information-seeking behaviors.