Evidence-based administrative decision making and the Ontario hospital CEO: information needs, seeking behaviour, and access to sources

Abstract

Introduction -The hospital librarian requires an understanding of the information needs, information-seeking process, and use of information resources by a hospital's chief executive officer (CEO) so that the librarian may support, promote, and foster evidence-based decision making (EBDM) at the executive level. This research aimed to identify various reasons hospital CEOs seek information and uncover their feelings and thoughts about the process. Method -In this study, funded by the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA / ABSC), Ontario hospital CEOs were interviewed by telephone in the summer of 2006. Findings -Barriers to EBDM as described by the CEOs included a lack of on-demand information and limited time for the information-seeking process. The CEOs preferences regarding the content and delivery method of needed information and the CEOs specific information needs and wants are described in this paper. Ontario CEOs do not perceive the hospital library as a first source that they turn to for EBDM. Of the 27 CEOs interviewed who directly use a library (onor off-site), 37% did not know the librarian's name. CEOs were asked whether they believed a hospital library would exist 5-10 years from now and to forecast the future for library services. The CEOs envision library services as shared or joint services, or virtual, or both. Conclusion -We have concluded from the findings that the hospital librarian who has not already communicated their expertise and demonstrated their ability to link the strategic goals of the hospital to available evidence-based resources will not be around in 10-15 years. McDiarmid et al. 72

Barriers and facilitators to evidence-use in program management: a systematic review of the literature

“…Confusion regarding what constitutes evidence contributed to a lack of evidence-use by decision-makers [ 17 - 20 ]. Too much information [ 17 , 20 ] and difficulty accessing relevant information [ 15 , 19 , 20 , 23 ] were also identified as barriers. The amount of time it takes for research to be completed in order to inform a decision was also perceived as a barrier to evidence-use [ 23 , 24 ].…”

“…The most frequently cited organizational barriers to evidence-use were time (6) and internal resource constraints (6). Evidence use in program management is challenged by a lack of time [ 15 , 18 - 22 ] and internal resources for research [ 19 - 23 ]. Bowen et al report:…”

Learning from research on the information behaviour of healthcare professionals: a review of the literature 2004–2008 with a focus on emotion

“…The seven articles with major coverage are summarized in Table 1. Articles that only touch on aspects of emotion in information behaviour include Devi and George 33 mentioning the difficulty in recognizing information needs; McDiarmid et al 23 mentioning that their study is aimed at uncovering the feelings and thoughts of chief executive officers (CEOs) (they do, however, not expand on this in discussing the findings); Bennett et al 22 on the need to fill gaps, including affective needs as well as the importance of attitude and self-confidence and emotional reasons for seeking information; Bertulis and Cheeseborough 34 on motivation and attitude, Craig and Corrall 35 mentioning self-confidence; Davies 36 referring to the difficulty in recognizing information needs; Fikar and Keith 37 touching on preferences for information sources as well as emotional reasons for seeking information; Fourie and Claasen-Veldsman 38 mentioning emotional reasons for seeking information; Gannon-Leary 2 referring to preferences for information sources; Kim et al 39 mentioning the use of vingettes to deal with the difficulty in recognizing information needs; Komolafe and Onatola 40 briefly mentioning self-confidence and attitude; Lu et al 41 mentioning preferences for information sources; McCaughan et al 16 mentioning uncertainty and anxiety in information seeking as well as preferences; McKenna et al 17 referring to sense making and recognition of a gap in knowledge as well as motivation; Revere et al 19 mentioning psychological barriers to the use of information; Tan et al 20 on preferences for information sources including trust, and the reputation and credibility of information sources; Tannery et al 42 mentioning personality characteristics; Thain and Wales 43 mentioning motivation and attitude; and Ward et al 44 mentioning self-confidence.…”

“…Articles that only touch on aspects of emotion in information behaviour include Devi and George 33 mentioning the difficulty in recognizing information needs; McDiarmid et al. 23 mentioning that their study is aimed at uncovering the feelings and thoughts of chief executive officers (CEOs) (they do, however, not expand on this in discussing the findings); Bennett et al. 22 on the need to fill gaps, including affective needs as well as the importance of attitude and self‐confidence and emotional reasons for seeking information; Bertulis and Cheeseborough 34 on motivation and attitude, Craig and Corrall 35 mentioning self‐confidence; Davies 36 referring to the difficulty in recognizing information needs; Fikar and Keith 37 touching on preferences for information sources as well as emotional reasons for seeking information; Fourie and Claasen‐Veldsman 38 mentioning emotional reasons for seeking information; Gannon‐Leary 2 referring to preferences for information sources; Kim et al.…”

“…1,21 However, Bennett et al highlights specific Webrelated information behaviour barriers including difficulties in navigating and searching, and specific information may not be available or there may be too much information to scan. 22 Problems with specific information or answers not being available is also noted by McDiarmid et al, 23 while Denekamp 24 stresses that clinicians routinely practice in a state of incomplete information about medical knowledge pertaining to patients' care. Elsewhere, it has been noted that clinicians can move from a correct answer before searching to an incorrect answer after searching for information, 25 whilst McKnight notes, 'No one can retrieve reliable literature and systematically review it while watching monitors, checking on patients, administering and verifying therapies, and answering telephone calls'.…”