Saturday, September 05, 2009

Article: information behaviour of healthcare professionals

Fourie, I. (2009) "Learning from research on the information behaviour of healthcare professionals: a review of the literature 2004-2008 with a focus on emotion." Health Information and Libraries Journal, 26 (3), 171-86. "
Objective: A review, focusing on emotion, was conducted of reported studies on the information behaviour of healthcare professionals (2004-2008). Findings were intended to offer guidelines on information services and information literacy training, to note gaps in research and to raise research interest. Method: Databases were searched for literature published from January 2004 to December 2008 and indexed on eric, Library and Information Science Abstracts, medline, PsycINFO, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition; Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts; Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; Social Work Abstracts; SocINDEX with Full Text; SPORTDiscus; cinhal; and the ISI Web of Knowledge databases. Key journals were manually scanned and citations followed. Literature was included if reporting on issues concerning emotion. Results: Emotion in information behaviour in healthcare contexts is scantily addressed. This review, however, offers some insight into the difficulty in identifying and expressing information needs; sense making and the need to fill knowledge gaps; uncertainty; personality and coping skills; motivation to seeking information; emotional experiences during information seeking; self-confidence and attitude; emotional factors in the selection of information channels; and seeking information for psychological or emotional reasons. Conclusion: Suggestions following findings, address information literacy programs, information services and research gaps." (Found on Pubmed via Libworm)
Photo by Sheila Webber: MIlan, Cathedral, August 2009

No comments: