Health care providers' information seeking: recent research

Recent research studies describe typical information-seeking behavior of doctors, nurses, and other health care providers. This review identifies and analyzes thirty-nine studies and nine reviews published since 1990. The researchers are from many disciplines and often work in multi-disciplinary teams. They have used both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather self-report and observational data. In spite of the increased availability of online bibliographic and full-text sources in this decade, health care providers are using the same sources they used twenty years ago. Self-report studies usually show a higher use of published literature than of advice from colleagues; observational studies usually show the opposite.     

Scenarios in information seeking and information retrieval research: A methodological application and discussion

Scenario has been used as a research tool to study information seeking and information retrieval. This review of the nature and development of scenario use reveals a variety of applications and a number of practical methodological issues. While scenarios have a number of advantages, there are limitations. Consideration of these advantages and challenges leads to recommendations for constructing and presenting scenarios.     

Health information seeking in the information society

This article is the second student contribution to the Dissertations into Practice feature. It reports on a study that investigated the everyday health information-seeking practices of a small group of the 'general public' and the implications for information-seeking theory and health information provision. The first student article, about the implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID) in a hospital library, was very different, and the two articles illustrate the broad spectrum of possible subjects for the Dissertations into Practice feature. This study was conducted in summer 2011 by Abir Mukherjee for his MSc dissertation in the Library and Information Sciences programme at City University London. Further information and copies of the full dissertation may be obtained from Abir Mukherjee or David Bawden. AM.     

Facilitating research amongst radiographers through information literacy workshops

Background:Despite a strong research presence in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (LTHTR), allied health professionals from the organization are underrepresented in developing and publicizing research that is inspired by day-to-day clinical practice and staff experiences. Two LTHTR departments, Library and Knowledge Services (LKS) and Research and Innovation (R&I), came together to enable a group of staff to develop the knowledge and skills that they needed to access information and create new “home grown” research.Case Presentation:A clinical librarian and an academic research nurse created a research engagement program in the diagnostic radiography department at LTHTR, which included the development, delivery, and evaluation of 6 workshops. Sixteen individuals took part in these workshops, and data were collected on library usage, self-efficacy in information literacy, and research output before and after their delivery. Library membership increased by 50% among diagnostic radiography staff, literature search requests from this department increased by 133%, and all participants who attended at least 1 workshop reported an increased Information Literacy Self Efficacy Scale (ILSES) score. An increase in research activity and outputs was also attributed to the program.Conclusions:This project has resulted in a set of freely available workshop plans and support resources that can be customized for other health care professionals and has won several awards for its innovative use of departmental collaboration. Through the evaluation of the program from workshop attendees and non-attenders, we have identified impacts, outputs, and barriers to engagement in order to continue to deliver this content to other departments and embed a home grown research culture at LTHTR.     

Conceptualizing the information seeking of college students on the autism spectrum through participant viewpoint ethnography

Due to increased numbers of diagnoses, targeted programs and initiatives, more students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending college (Heflin & Isbell, 2012; Zager & Alpern, 2007) but academic librarians and their staffs have not been trained to optimally serve this growing population. Utilizing wayfinding, think aloud protocol (TAP), retrospective think aloud protocol (RTAP), and a wearable camera, the actions, thoughts and feelings of a student with ASD and a neurotypical peer are evidenced as they navigate their campus library in search of materials. The library website, virtual maps to resource locations, and library workers served equally as enablers and barriers to both students in their information seeking. This study demonstrates that participant viewpoint ethnography is a viable research methodology for both neurotypical college students and those with autism.     

Place,community and information behavior: Spatially oriented information seeking zones and information source preferences

Even in a digitally advanced society, much of our daily lives is based in place, but information behavior research has largely ignored place as theoretically relevant to information behavior. This study explores the implications of a place-based approach to studying information practices, and examines factors that influence information seeking and sharing in place-based communities among parents of individuals with disabilities. Based on qualitative data gathered from 35 parents of individuals with disabilities, it proposes a spatial model of information source preferences based on the theory of information horizons, and discusses implications of the model for future research related to information seeking and places. It also presents substantive place-related findings about local information needs, including discussion of the local parent network as an information seeking system.     

Emotions as motivators for information seeking: A conceptual analysis

This conceptual analysis of how emotions and feelings are characterized as motivators for information seeking draws on the appraisal theories suggesting that emotions motivate individuals by triggering action readiness to approach or avoid sources of information. The findings indicate that emotions and feelings motivate in five major ways: they start, expand, limit, or terminate the information-seeking process, or they lead to information avoidance. Information scientists have mainly characterized the motivational aspects of negatively colored emotions such as anxiety and fear while the role of positive emotions such as joy has remained secondary.     

The information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors

AIMS: To explore the information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors, identifying any differences in attitudes and behaviours deriving from membership of a training practice and investigating the impact of a practice librarian. METHODS: A case study of general practitioners (GPs) in Aylesbury Vale incorporated a quantitative study of use of the medical library, and two qualitative techniques, in-depth interviews and group discussions. RESULTS: A total of 58 GPs, almost three quarters of those in the Vale, participated; 19 via individual interviews and a further 39 via two group discussions. Family doctors are prompted to seek information by needs arising from a combination of professional responsibilities and personal characteristics. A need for problem-orientated information, related to the care of individual patients, was the predominant factor that prompted these GPs to seek information. Personal collections remain the preferred information resource; electronic sources rank second. The study demonstrated low use of the medical library. However, both vocational training and the employment of a practice librarian impacted on library use. CONCLUSIONS: The study illuminates the information needs and preferences of GPs and illustrates the contribution that librarians may make at practice level, indicating the importance of outreach work.     

Time as a context of information seeking

The ways in which the temporal context of information seeking has been approached in the information-seeking literature are explored. Three major approaches were identified: (i) time as a fundamental attribute of situation or context of information seeking, (ii) time as qualifier of access to information, and (iii) time as an indicator of the information-seeking process. Temporal factors qualify situations and contexts of information seeking by expresssions such as dynamic, reiterative, and project. These factors can also be referred to as qualifiers of accessibility in the sense of constraints within which information may be accessed particularly in hurry situations. Temporal factors also qualify information seeking as a process from the viewpoint of stages or cycles. Recently, cyclic and non-linear models challenge the stage models of information seeking by emphasizing the contingency of information-seeking processes.     

Gaining access to everyday life information seeking

The discursive viewpoint adopted by many researchers who study everyday life information seeking allows for a shift in focus away from the individual as a unit of analysis toward a more general understanding of the broader cultural conditions within which individuals operate. However, the data employed by such researchers often consist of the testimony or observed actions of individuals. This paradox provides a point from which to reflect on the process of gaining access or entry to everyday life information seekers as research participants. This article presents the authors’ reflections on their experiences of conducting separate library and information science studies of three diverse populations: pregnant women, members of a self-help support group, and preschool children. The article’s premise is that theory and research practice are intertwined and that attending to issues of gaining access is essential for the development of both. Access is an emergent process dependent on the characteristics of the researcher, the participants, and the research context.     

国外信息查寻范式研究

论文介绍了国外研究较多的五种信息查寻范式，分别是源自心理学领域的最小努力原则、意义构建；源自大众传播的使用与满意、媒介使用；源自社会学的娱乐理论。     

Knowledge bases: improving the information supply chain

In early 2006, information industry association UKSG commissioned a research report ‘to identify the new relationships and information exchange requirements … [necessary] to maximize the benefit of OpenURL linking'. Central to the efficient operation of the OpenURL is the knowledge base, which consists of data supplied by content providers including publishers. The report found that a lack of awareness on the part of many publishers of the OpenURL's capabilities and requirements is impacting the quality and timeliness of the data they provide to populate knowledge bases, and thus undermining the potential of this sophisticated technology. A programme of education and advocacy, particularly among smaller publishers, will be key to improving the efficacy with which OpenURL is currently implemented. The study's findings and suggestions will be taken forward by the KBART (Knowledge Bases And Related Tools) working group co‐chaired by UKSG and NISO; this article reviews the initial report and summarizes the planned remit and expected outcomes of the working group.     

The information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors: a selective literature review

General practitioners play a central role in primary care. Clinical Governance and advances in Information and Communications Technology dominate the agenda for change. The aim of this literature review is to indicate publications that have made a significant contribution to understanding of the information wants, needs, behaviour and preferences of family physicians and to identify areas in which there is scope for further research. Concentrating on material published in the 1990s, this review looks at the information needs of family doctors and at their information seeking behaviour. Work on the needs of General Medical Practices and of Primary Care Groups is included. The review discusses studies of information gatekeepers and projects intended to augment access to information services. A few texts are recommended as essential reading.     

Consumer health information seeking in social media: a literature review

Objective

The objective of this literature review was to summarise current research regarding how consumers seek health‐related information from social media. Primarily, we hope to reveal characteristics of existing studies investigating the health topics that consumers have discussed in social media, ascertaining the roles social media have played in consumers’ information‐seeking processes and discussing the potential benefits and concerns of accessing consumer health information in social media.

Methods

The Web of Science Core Collection database was searched for existing literature on consumer health information seeking in social media. The search returned 214 articles, of which 21 met the eligibility criteria following review of full‐text documents.

Conclusion

Between 2011 and 2016, twenty‐one studies published explored various topics related to consumer information seeking in social media. These ranged from online discussions on specific diseases (e.g. diabetes) to public health concerns (e.g. pesticide residues). Consumers’ information needs vary depending on the health issues of interest. Benefits of health seeking on social media, in addition to filling a need for health information, include the social and emotional support health consumers gain from peer‐to‐peer interactions. These benefits, however, are tempered by concerns of information quality and authority and lead to decreased consumer engagement.     

信息检索中"相关性"的探究

本文从“相关性”的动态、多维的内涵出发,探讨了“相关性”的影响因素,即信息源、检索系统、用户、时间与环境,最后得出了“相关性”对建立信息检索系统的一些启示。