scholarly journals Information-seeking needs and behaviours of complementary health (chiropractic) practitioners and students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Helen Bennett

<p>Background: Research into the information-seeking behaviours and needs of alternative and complementary health professionals continues to be limited. Interest in complementary medicine is growing worldwide, reflected in New Zealand by the increase in numbers of practitioners, and the demand for accessible, reliable information and resources by professionals and consumers grows also. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the information seeking behaviours (access, sources, frequency of search, and motivation) and needs (research, practice or education) of students and professionals in one area of complementary health (chiropractic), and by investigating their reported practices and preferences identify their requirements, preferred approaches and any barriers that may limit their information-seeking. The intention is to use the information to assess a possible requirement for information services and information skills programmes for practitioners in the community and to add to the small body of research on information use among CAM professionals. Methods: The research project surveyed a random sample of both students and registered chiropractic practitioners by questionnaire and interview. The mailed questionnaire included twenty question intended to elicit information on the information-seeking behaviours of the respondents, with interview questions expanding on these responses. Results: Although the response was very low at 41.1%, (a known risk in survey research), results indicated that the information needs and behaviours of chiropractic professionals is similar to that of other health professionals. Respondents used the Internet and books frequently, but were unlikely to use databases or a library when seeking information. Respondents were generally confident in their skills but often lacked confidence in the information they located. Conclusions: Although the chiropractic field is quite narrow in scope, chiropractors' information seeking needs and behaviours are similar to those of other health professionals. They seek information regularly and use a number of sources, primarily for clinical reasons and for personal interest. They do not search for research-based information frequently and rely on the Internet, colleagues and their own collections to supply their main information needs. Although the results cannot reliably be extrapolated to the whole chiropractic community owing to the small scale of the survey, it appears that there is need to encourage the use of research-based information and to provide easier access to those resources contained in databases and libraries. As the overwhelming majority of chiropractors of all levels of experience use the Internet, the investigation of the provision of targeted web-based services and training in their use may be profitable. More precise investigation is required.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Helen Bennett

<p>Background: Research into the information-seeking behaviours and needs of alternative and complementary health professionals continues to be limited. Interest in complementary medicine is growing worldwide, reflected in New Zealand by the increase in numbers of practitioners, and the demand for accessible, reliable information and resources by professionals and consumers grows also. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the information seeking behaviours (access, sources, frequency of search, and motivation) and needs (research, practice or education) of students and professionals in one area of complementary health (chiropractic), and by investigating their reported practices and preferences identify their requirements, preferred approaches and any barriers that may limit their information-seeking. The intention is to use the information to assess a possible requirement for information services and information skills programmes for practitioners in the community and to add to the small body of research on information use among CAM professionals. Methods: The research project surveyed a random sample of both students and registered chiropractic practitioners by questionnaire and interview. The mailed questionnaire included twenty question intended to elicit information on the information-seeking behaviours of the respondents, with interview questions expanding on these responses. Results: Although the response was very low at 41.1%, (a known risk in survey research), results indicated that the information needs and behaviours of chiropractic professionals is similar to that of other health professionals. Respondents used the Internet and books frequently, but were unlikely to use databases or a library when seeking information. Respondents were generally confident in their skills but often lacked confidence in the information they located. Conclusions: Although the chiropractic field is quite narrow in scope, chiropractors' information seeking needs and behaviours are similar to those of other health professionals. They seek information regularly and use a number of sources, primarily for clinical reasons and for personal interest. They do not search for research-based information frequently and rely on the Internet, colleagues and their own collections to supply their main information needs. Although the results cannot reliably be extrapolated to the whole chiropractic community owing to the small scale of the survey, it appears that there is need to encourage the use of research-based information and to provide easier access to those resources contained in databases and libraries. As the overwhelming majority of chiropractors of all levels of experience use the Internet, the investigation of the provision of targeted web-based services and training in their use may be profitable. More precise investigation is required.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather B. Terrell

<p><em>In a literature survey on how reference collections have changed to accommodate patrons’ web-based information-seeking behaviors, one notes a marked “us vs. them” mentality — a fear that the Internet might render reference irrelevant. These anxieties are oft-noted in articles urging libraries to embrace digital and online reference sources. Why all the ambivalence? Citing existing research and literature, this essay explores myths about the supposed superiority of physical reference collections and how patrons actually use them, potential challenges associated with electronic reference collections and how providing vital e-reference collections benefits the library as well as its patrons.</em></p>


10.2196/17349 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. e17349
Author(s):  
Aijing Luo ◽  
Zirui Xin ◽  
Yifeng Yuan ◽  
Tingxiao Wen ◽  
Wenzhao Xie ◽  
...  

Background With the rapid development of online health communities, increasing numbers of patients and families are seeking health information on the internet. Objective This study aimed to discuss how to fully reveal the health information needs expressed by patients with hypertension in their questions in a web-based environment and how to use the internet to help patients with hypertension receive personalized health education. Methods This study randomly selected 1000 text records from the question data of patients with hypertension from 2008 to 2018 collected from Good Doctor Online and constructed a classification system through literature research and content analysis. This paper identified the background characteristics and questioning intention of each patient with hypertension based on the patient’s question and used co-occurrence network analysis and the k-means clustering method to explore the features of the health information needs of patients with hypertension. Results The classification system for the health information needs of patients with hypertension included the following nine dimensions: drugs (355 names), symptoms and signs (395 names), tests and examinations (545 names), demographic data (526 kinds), diseases (80 names), risk factors (37 names), emotions (43 kinds), lifestyles (6 kinds), and questions (49 kinds). There were several characteristics of the explored web-based health information needs of patients with hypertension. First, more than 49% of patients described features, such as drugs, symptoms and signs, tests and examinations, demographic data, and diseases. Second, patients with hypertension were most concerned about treatment (778/1000, 77.80%), followed by diagnosis (323/1000, 32.30%). Third, 65.80% (658/1000) of patients asked physicians several questions at the same time. Moreover, 28.30% (283/1000) of patients were very concerned about how to adjust the medication, and they asked other treatment-related questions at the same time, including drug side effects, whether to take the drugs, how to treat the disease, etc. Furthermore, 17.60% (176/1000) of patients consulted physicians about the causes of clinical findings, including the relationship between the clinical findings and a disease, the treatment of a disease, and medications and examinations. Fourth, by k-means clustering, the questioning intentions of patients with hypertension were classified into the following seven categories: “how to adjust medication,” “what to do,” “how to treat,” “phenomenon explanation,” “test and examination,” “disease diagnosis,” and “disease prognosis.” Conclusions In a web-based environment, the health information needs expressed by Chinese patients with hypertension to physicians are common and distinct, that is, patients with different background features ask relatively common questions to physicians. The classification system constructed in this study can provide guidance to health information service providers for the construction of web-based health resources, as well as guidance for patient education, which could help solve the problem of information asymmetry in communication between physicians and patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Yuni Rahmah ◽  
Elva Rahmah

AbstractIn this paper the language about Millennial Generation Information Search Behavior To Meet Information Needs. This study aims to describe the information seeking behavior of the millennial generation to meet the information needs of this study at the Padang State University. Data were collected through observation and distribution of questionnaires with students of the Indonesian and Regional Languages and Literature Department at Padang State University. Analyzing the data, concluded the following matters. (1). Starting - consists of activities that initiate information seeking activities. In general (100%) determine the topic especially before conducting an information search, in general (90%) conduct information search after discussion or consultation with lecturers, in general (95.23%) know the information needs when attending lectures, (88.4 %) know the information needs specifically, and in general (88%) do information when they are aware of and know the need for information. (2). Chaining - activities following a series of citations, citations or forms of reconciliation between documents with each other. In general (92.8 uses a bibliography to search information, generally (90.4%) use the author's name from the core reference to look for other references in conducting information searches, and in general (92.9%) use subjects from core reference to look for other references (3) Browsing - merawak, looking for, but rather directed, in areas that are considered to have the potential for the information needed.In general (73%) libraries can always meet information needs, in general In general (95.2%) look for information on the internet if the information you are looking for is not found in the printed source of information, (92.8%) generally directly looking for information on the internet if the information you need is not found in the printed source of information, at generally (45.22%) query identification (keywords). (4). Differentiating - sorting, using the features in the information source as a basic reference for checking quality or information content. in general (88%) the internet is the main source of information, in general (92.84%) The source of information printed is still very much needed in fulfilling information needs. (5). Monitoring - monitoring progress by focusing on selected sources. In general (88.09%) looked for the latest information through the internet by searching for the latest articles, in general (78.56%) needed to find the latest information to enrich the reference sources. (6). Extracting - systematically digging in one source to retrieve information that is considered important. In general (90.47 when you need information you often search the search engine (google, yahoo), in general (88.09 often uses a journal database to get information, in general (78.56%) after getting information on the internet , you directly copy the information, in general (76.19%) use the "Google" search engine because it is more relevant than other search engines.Keywords: behavior, millennial generation and information.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ve Leslie E. Atanoza ◽  
Johannes M. Camasura

The study investigates the strategies employed by the students of Cebu Technological University in searching information using digitized resources. It identifies students' information needs using the main campus’ library and describes the information seeking approaches students employ using the Internet, Online databases and Optical media. The study employs simple purposive sampling. It uses descriptive method of survey and document analysis. A focus group discussion was also conducted and computer log monitoring analysis. The study revealed that students’ information needs are varied and course related. Students’ purposes in searching information in digitize sources are to get an overview of their research topic; answering class assignments and gathering related literature. Students supply their own keywords rather than the keywords provided in the index of online databases was generally the first approach used in searching information in digitized sources. Boolean operators and truncations as search techniques were the least used approach. Search engines of Google, Yahoo, and You Tube were the top three preferences of students when using the Internet as a Digitized Information Source. Dealing with too many results to choose from and inadequate instructions on how to proceed with the search usually contribute to the delay in finding the needed information.   Keywords - digitized resources, information seeking strategies


Author(s):  
Suptendra Nath Sarbadhikari

This chapter discusses the role of integrating medical education with medical practice through online collaborative learning among the various stakeholders involved with healthcare education and practice. It elaborates the discussion with examples of information needs and information-seeking behaviors of patients and physicians. The role of the Internet (infrastructure), and especially the WWW (applications and content), is elucidated with respect to the concepts of online collaborative learning as applied to medical education and practice where the emphasis is on user driven healthcare. “


2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
David Hook

Objective – This study reports on research into the information and support needs of practitioners in the museum, archive, and library sectors, who are undergoing an impact evaluation. Design – Qualitative survey. Setting – Web-based questionnaire. Subjects – Twenty-one practitioners in the fields of museums, archives, and libraries. Methods – The study made use of a small-scale web portal that provides impact evaluation research findings, toolkits, and examples of methods. The portal’s intent was to present to the users multiple views of the available information in order to overcome the problem of users not being able to identify their needs. A purposive sample group consisting of 50 practitioners from the museum, library, and archive fields was invited to participate in a questionnaire evaluating the website. Main Results – Despite a fairly low response rate (49%) and poor distribution among the three sectors (museums, libraries, and archives), the results indicated a significant difference in the levels of knowledge and understanding of impact evaluation. Over half of the organizations surveyed had done some assessment of their institution’s economic impact, and there appears to be a rising trend towards doing impact studies for specific projects and developments. Nearly a quarter of the organizations had not undertaken any impact evaluation study previously. Practitioners already familiar with impact evaluation tended to look at broader range of fields for expertise, whereas those with less familiarity remained within their own sector. Practitioners with less experience preferred tools, guidance, and examples of methodologies as opposed to actual evidence of impact. The results also provided the authors with feedback on their web portal and how to organize the information therein. Conclusions – One of the findings of the study was that the overall reaction to impact evaluation support through research evidence, guidance, and other mechanisms was positive. For most practitioners, evaluation itself and the level of understanding of impact evaluation are at early stages. The primary goals for those undertaking impact evaluation were found to be professional and organizational learning, thus there is a need for practical help and guidance in these areas. Time limitation appeared to be a significant factor in the responses – particularly with smaller organizations – suggesting that their portal material would provide much-needed assistance to such organizations. Finally, it was concluded that future emphasis should be placed on developing practical applications rather than pure research.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh KHademian ◽  
Mahsa Roozrokh Arshadi Montazer ◽  
Azam Aslani

Objective. This study aimed to assess web-based health information seeking and eHealth literacy among Iranian college students. Methods. The study was conducted in five colleges of the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran during 2018. The data were collected by a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of seven questions on a 4-point Likert-type scale, with scores ranging from 7 to 28. These questions were: ′I know how to use the Internet to answer my questions about health′, ′I think there is enough information about health-related issues on the Internet′, ′I know the vocabulary used in health issues on the Internet′, ′I can tell high-quality health resources from low-quality health resources on the Internet′, ′I know how to use the health information I find on the Internet to help me′, ′I feel confident in using information from the Internet to make health decisions′, and ′Searching for health-related information on the Internet will increase my knowledge in this field′. High eHealth literacy level is defined as above the total mean score and low eHealth literacy level is defined as lower than the total mean score. Results. In all, 386 college students participated in the study. The results showed that the mean score of eHealth literacy was 19.11 out of 28; 205 participants (54.4%) had low eHealth literacy. In addition, the students used the Internet to search for information regarding diseases symptoms (70%), physical illnesses (67.1%), existing treatments (65%), and diagnosis (63.1%). Conclusion. The results showed that participants in this study usually searched for illnesses, symptoms, and treatments after they got sick and paid little attention to other aspects related to integral health.How to cite this article: KHademian F, Roozrokh M, Aslani A. Web-based health Information Seeking and eHealth Literacy among College students. A Self-report study. Invest. Educ. Enferm. 2020. 38(1):e08.


10.2196/14327 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e14327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Ashkanani ◽  
Rabab Asery ◽  
Fajer Bokubar ◽  
Noor AlAli ◽  
Shahad Mubarak ◽  
...  

Background Owing to the revolution in technology, the internet has become an important aspect of people’s lives. Modern technology is enabling people from diverse educational backgrounds to use the internet for several purposes, one of which is health information seeking. Recently, Web-based health information has become more popular among patients all over the world and among the general public. Objective This study aimed to investigate the use of Web-based health resources among undergraduate students from different faculties at Kuwait University. Methods The study employed a cross-sectional design with students selected from 8 faculties of Kuwait University, 4 faculties of Literature and 4 faculties of Science. Data were collected using structured questionnaires, and analysis was done using a chi-square test and binary logistic regression to determine the factors associated with seeking health information on the Web. Results The sample size obtained was 1132 with a response rate of 90.27% (1132/1254). Overall, the prevalence of students seeking Web-based health information was 92.66%. (1049/1132) The most significant factors associated with seeking health information on the Web were age, gender, faculty, year of study, primary source of internet, and level of experience with internet use. In total, 90.0% (325/361) of students who were aged older than 21 years used Web-based health information compared with 82.8% (275/332) of those who were aged 18 years. In addition, female students showed a higher prevalence (829/934, 88.8%) of Web-based health information seeking than males (210/270, 77.8%). Students who majored in faculties of Science were more likely to seek health information than those who majored in faculties of Literature. All the differences found in the study were statistically significant (P<.05). Conclusions The study concluded that many people use the internet for seeking health information. Sociodemographic factors have a significant association with Web-based health information seeking. Therefore, doctors must educate the public about the health information websites that can be trusted.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Russo ◽  
Ilaria Campagna ◽  
Beatrice Ferretti ◽  
Elisabetta Pandolfi ◽  
Marta Luisa Ciofi Degli Atti ◽  
...  

Abstract Background People increasingly search online for health information. Particularly, parents of patients often use the Internet as a source for health information. We conducted a survey to investigate the online searching behavior of parents of patients < 18 years, admitted for surgery in an Italian pediatric hospital. Methods The cross-sectional survey was nested in a prospective cohort study on surgical procedures. Parents of patients undergoing surgical procedures at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy, were enrolled and contacted by phone after the procedure. We recorded socio-demographic data, sex, length of stay following surgery, proximity of residence to the hospital, use of the internet to search for information on the surgery before and after the intervention and effect of information found online. Results The majority (91%) of parents of children undergoing surgical intervention used the internet. Of these, 74.3% of parents searched for information before surgery, and 26.1% searched for information after. Most parents searched for information on the care provider’s website. Two thirds of parents reported that information found online had increased their understanding of the child’s condition. Multivariate analyses indicated that families living far from the hospital (> 43 km) were more likely to search for health information (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.34–4.00), as were families of patients undergoing a major surgery (OR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.04–4.11). Conclusions Parents of children undergoing surgery often search online for information on their child’s intervention, in particular those whose child is scheduled for a major surgery and those living far from the hospital. A survey like the present one allows to understand parents’ information needs, to better guide them in online information seeking and to better tailor information provided on the care provider’s website.


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