Information needs of United Kingdom primary care clinicians¹

Abstract

Background : The scope of primary care makes knowledge management in this context very challenging, especially as access to information increases and the role of primary care within the NHS expands. Objectives : This paper reviews the literature on the information needs of primary care clinicians to enable evidence-based decision making. Drawing on the literature, and using a specific example of a clinical informaticist service, some lessons are drawn on the role of information professionals in facilitating evidence-based health care. Methods : Literature review. Case study of clinical informaticist service. Conclusions : There are numerous barriers to clinicians engaging with evidence-based practice. However, providing evidence-based information to clinicians' questions in a user-friendly format has the potential to facilitate changes in practice. The successful implementation of information services requires attention to both academic and service dimensions, fostering closer working relationships between clinicians and information professionals.

An information behaviour investigation of the community pharmacists in Greece for developing library and information services

“…Health care professionals require a constant provision of high quality information for updating their knowledge and improving their practices and skills. Current research on information needs, practices and behaviour assists in providing evidence for the development of library and information services 1 for specific health care professional groups, 2 such as medical doctors, [3][4][5][6][7] dentists, 8 nurses, pharmacists 9 and other professionals in the health care sector. 10 In health care services, it is very important to evaluate the quality of information prior to its employment.…”

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

“…Healthcare society faces increasing emphasis on quality healthcare and patient involvement in decision making, as well as calls for evidence‐based medicine, staying abreast of developments in the field, and for continuing professional development (CPD) 1–3 . In addition to the challenge of maintaining up‐to‐date knowledge and skills, 4 there have been a marked increase in information requests associated with the rising numbers of patients diagnosed with life‐threatening diseases 5 and patient preference to die at home when diagnosed as terminal 6 . Bryant reports on remarks by family doctors that ‘Well‐informed patients generate information needs’ 7 .…”

The Informationist: Ten Years Later

“…The author decided to reach respondents by focusing on Health Sciences Library listservs only in Canada and the United States. There is some literature on informationists in Australia (20,24), as well as the Middle East (25), and the United Kingdom (22,26,27), but the author decided to focus on Canada and the United States. It should be mentioned that there may have been some informationist listservs that the author missed.…”