How translational researchers use data is becoming an important support function for libraries to understand. Libraries' roles in this increasingly complex area of Web librarianship are often unclearly defined. The authors conducted two focus groups with physicians and researchers at an academic medical center, the UCLA David Geffen School of…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the accessibility and use of web-based electronic databases on the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative (HINARI) portal by physicians in the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro--a psychiatry health institution in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: Collection of data was through the use of a three-part…

Librarians at New York City's Bellevue Hospital Center needed to write a 3-year strategic plan that included technology data. In this article, they describe how they surveyed doctors and residents about their technology and internet use to determine what the Bellevue Medical Library needed to do in order to support those who deliver medical care.…

With wireless connectivity and small laptop computers, people are no longer tied to the desktop for online searching. Handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) offer even greater portability. So far, the most common uses of PDAs are as calendars and address books, or to interface with a laptop or desktop machine. More advanced PDAs, like…

Discusses the professional liability of medical librarians and their employers in the delivery of information to physicians. Steps for librarians to take to protect themselves from professional liability and to insulate physicians and institutions from vicarious liability are suggested. (12 references) (MES)

Introduction: In developing their professional competence, those who are interested in the practice of continuing medical education (CME) should recognize the knowledge base that defines their field. This study systematically identifies and organizes a list of books and journals comprising a core library (100 books/15 journals) for CME…

Reviews the literature on the topic of information use by physicians. The five areas presented include the concept of information use, relevant bibliographies and reviews, the use of library related sources of information, the use of nonlibrary related sources of information, and factors affecting information use by physicians. (93 references)…

Twenty-seven rural physicians were visited by a medical librarian and taught to search medical literature via computer. A survey of 21 participants showed that the program reduced the sense of isolation and increased satisfaction. Online searching cost an average of $10 per month to answer 20 clinical questions. (SK)

Reports intensive survey of medical library users in Oxford teaching hospitals and university science departments that employed six survey techniques (interview, questionnaire, feedback form, direct observation, reference-tracing experiment, library record analysis). Three distinct user types (practitioner, researcher, practitioner-researcher)…

The abilities of third- and fourth-year students and physicians to solve problems requiring review of current literature were compared with the information-seeking procedures of the three groups. The subjects were given a patient care question to answer, and logs were maintained to document their information-seeking processes. (Author/MLW)