Presentation by: Jodi Shelly, Lauren Rodriguez and

Genevieve Hewson

HIB/Health & Medicine

Health-related information-seeking
continues to be an active area of focus in
HIB due to the constantly increasing
amount of health-related information being
published and the need for both healthcare
providers and consumers to stay informed.

Groups to Consider
AIDS Patients

Hypochondriacs

Cancer Patients

Nurses / Clinicians

Caregivers

Parents

Diabetics

Physicians

The Elderly

The Recently Diagnosed

Ethnic Groups

Socio-economic groups

Expectant First-Time
Mothers (and Fathers)

Young Adults

Breast Cancer Patients

Socio-economic and Ethnic Groups
Physicians

Areas of Focus

HIB Breast Cancer Patients

Facts
o MBSS
o Models to Explain Monitoring and Blunting Theory
o Information Seeking Behaviors
o Sources of Information
o Information Disparities in Patient Materials
o Recommendations
HIB of Minorities/Low Income Individuals
o Factors that affect HIB of minorities (Richardson)
o Factors that affect low-income individuals (Berkman/Kawachi/Bjerregaard/Young)
o Disparities in HIB of minorities (Gany)
o Belief systems in HIB of minorities/low-income individuals (Gany/Herrera/Avallone/Changrani)
o Information Blunting (Miller)

HIB of Doctors
Information seeking of professionals (Leckie/Pettigrew/Sylvain)
o Information needs in practice/pre-internet (Covell)
o Information-seeking behavior relative to EBM/evidence-based medicine (Davies)
o Curbside Consultation (Perley)
o

Two Models

Health Information Behavior

Health Information Acquisition Model
This model was developed by researchers at the National Cancer Institute to
evaluate the dissemination of cancer information to the public
It was developed by Freimuth et al in 1989 as a way to explain
What happens during information seeking?
How do people search for health information?

It is a flow chart depicting the sequence of events during health information seeking
It identifies factors that lead to particular outcomes
Can be used to illustrate active and passive information seeking

(Loo 2007)

Health Information Behavior

Health Information Acquisition Model (Cont.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.

Stimulus Gap in
Knowledge
Information Goals
Seekers decide urgency
Cost Benefit- Is it
worth seeking
information?
Search Behaviors - The
extent (scope) of search
is considered
Information Evaluation
Have I found what Im
looking for?, What are
my information goals ?
Decision Point- Seeker
is subjective, Have I
found it, or do I keep
searching (Loo, 1997)

(Freimuth et al)
Health Information
Acquisition Model
1989
(Loo 2007)

Health Information Behavior

Johnsons Comprehensive Model of Information-Seeking
AKA: CMIS (1997)
This model was developed for cancer-related information seeking , but is

applicable to universal health information.

The model has 3 components:

(Antecedents) The various factors that motivate the information search

A.
1.
2.
3.
4.

a)
b)

(Information Carrier Factors) The various channels to receive the information or

the means of delivery

B.
1.
2.

C.

They determine the imperative

They determine the intensity of the search
They affect the perceived usefulness of the information channels
There are two categories for these factors:
Background Demographics and Direct Experience
Personal relevance: Salience and Beliefs

Each channel has a different characteristic

Each channel has a different level of perceived usefulness to user

(The information-seeking actions) Actions

Health Information Behavior

Johnsons Comprehensive Model of InformationSeeking AKA: CMIS (1997) (Cont.)
The utility of the CMIS
has been empirically
tested. (Johnson 1997)
One problem with this
model the model lacks
a feedback loop.
(Loo 2007)

Human Information Behavior

Breast
Cancer
Patients

Ten Information Needs of Cancer

Patients According to the National
Cancer Institute
Cancer specific information (type of cancer, course of

disease, physical effects)

Treatment-related information (side effects, risks/benefits,
available treatments, treatment options)
Prognosis information (chance of cure, survival rate,
recurrence rate)
Rehabilitation information (self-care vs. home care,
nutrition, follow-up)
Surveillance and health information (maintaining physical
health or activity, prevention and early detection,
maintaining psychological health)

Ten Information Needs of Cancer

Patients According to the National
Cancer Institute (Cont.)

Coping information (emotional reactions, emotional support,

counseling, support groups)
Interpersonal/social information (effect on family, friends, caregivers,
effect on social life/leisure, risk of the disease for family members)
Financial/legal information (cost of treatment, insurance coverage,
advanced directives, wills)
Medical system information (interactions with providers, experience
and quality of providers, quality of medical equipment)
Body image/ sexuality information (physical appearance) (Treiman
and Squiers 2005)
(Loo 2007)

Facts About Breast Cancer Patients

Breast cancer patients are some of todays most
proactive healthcare consumers.
They face life-threatening illness in the prime of

life.
They must choose from complete treatment
options that yield different morbidities but equal
odds of survival.
(Radina et al. 2011)

Facts About Breast Cancer Patients

(Cont.)
They base their decisions on their core values and

beliefs.
A plethora of information on breast cancer has
emerged in both scientific and popular media.
There is unprecedented and growing access to
health information, making it essential for health
care providers and others to better understand
the health seeking behaviors of patients.
(Radina et al. 2011)

Facts About Breast Cancer Patients

(Cont.)
When people share the experience of a certain
disease within a particular society, shared
meanings will emerge these patterns can be
used to improve services such as information
provision.
Breast Cancer patients perceive gaps in ways
information is given/provided. (Dervin)

(Williamson 2006)

Facts About Breast Cancer Patients

(Cont.)
In recent years, studies have shown, that patient

involvement in medical decision-making has increased

the likelihood of patient satisfaction. Patients typically
require information on the diagnosis, the prognosis, and
the treatment options.
(Nagler et al. 2009)

Breast Cancer Patients

(as individuals)
Because each persons life experience

is different, their frames of

interpreting the world are equally
unique.
(Williamson & Manaszewicz 2002)

Breast Cancer Patients

(as individuals)
Cancer is not the only event that is occurring in ones life.
It impacts an individuals self-identity, including body image,

family, social and work relationships.

It is viewed as an intrusion and the feelings of vulnerability
impact normal coping mechanisms.
When individuals acknowledge that they are living with cancer,
they become more enabled to become an active respondent in
the information process.
Every cancer patient is different and reaches a point of clarity
(to receive and comprehend information) at different times.
(Van Der Molen 2000)

Breast Cancer Patients

(as individuals)

Levels of information
needs throughout the
cancer trajectory
(Van Der Molen 2000)

For Consideration
o The role fear of knowing

or anxiety plays in a
patients search for
information.
o The role information
overload has on a
patients ability to cope.

MBSS
(Miller Behavioural Style Scale) AKA (Miller Blunter Style Scale)
In 1987, Suzanne M. Miller developed a 32-item questionnaire to evaluate a
person's means of coping with stress. (ie: Discovering the presence of
breast cancer)
This questionnaire is useful in determining whether a patient wants more or
less information when confronted with his/her diagnosis.
This scale is used to identify:
Monitors Active seekers of information
Blunters Distracted seekers of information

Monitors and blunters are quantified by the terms - high and low.

MBSS
(Miller Behavioral Style Scale) AKA (Miller Blunter Style Scale) (cont.)

High Monitors (information seekers)

Seek as much information as possible

(from as many sources as possible)

Will seek out information at onset of need
Suffer a high anxiety level and arousal and information
overload (Loo 1997)

Low Monitors (information avoiders)

Will not seek out information at the onset of need
Are able to reduce anxiety and relax over time

MBSS (Cont.)
(Miller Behavioral Style Scale) AKA (Miller Blunter Style Scale)

High Blunters (most distracted)

Will avoid getting information
Are able to reduce anxiety level and relax over time

Low Blunters (nondistractors)

Will seek out information at the onset of need
Suffer a high anxiety level and arousal

(Miller 1987)

Models to Explain
Monitoring and Blunting Theory
Krikelass (1983)
Information

Seeking Model
includes both
immediate and
deferred seeking.
It also illustrates the
collecting of
information to
satisfy deferred
Information needs.
(Baker 2005)

Models to Explain
Monitoring and Blunting Theory
Dervins (1992) Sense Making Model
Illustrates both monitors and blunters informationseeking styles. Both seek information, but do so in
different time frames.
(Baker 2005)

Wilsons (1981) Sense-Making Model

Recognizes avoidance behaviors
Stress coping theory
Intervening variables
(Case et al 2005)

Models to Explain
Monitoring and Blunting Theory
Lazarus & Folkmans
(1984) Transactional
Model of Stress and
Coping
Identifies information
seeking as the most frequent
method used to cope with a
stressful event when
information is limited.
(Van Der Molen 1999)

Information Seeking Behaviors

Breast Cancer Patients
Information seeking of women with breast cancer is highly
individualistic. They actively seek, actively avoid, and
fluctuate in between. (Avoidance behaviors include: non-acceptance,
non-utilizing of information presented, and non-seeking. (Loo 2007))
Those who Actively Seek:

Facilitate coping
Regain a sense of control
Increase confidence and security
Help with (participate in) the decision making process
(Rees & Bath 2001)

Information Seeking Behaviors

Breast Cancer Patients (Cont.)
Those who Actively Avoid
Escape
Prevent worry
Avoid fears
Minimize feelings of negativity and depression
Those who Fluctuate between seeking and avoiding.
Give themselves time to internalize diagnosis (think about it), before
making any decisions
Have stopped seeking because information was either too negative, or
information had negative effect to their well-being
Have stopped seeking because information overload became
burdensome
(Rees & Bath 2001)

Sources of Information
for Breast Cancer Patients
Internet
Primary Literature
Supplemental Literature (booklets and pamphlets from the

physician)
Verbal Interactions with Health Care Professionals
(Williamson & Manaszewicz 2002)
Library
Written Information from Breast Cancer Organizations
Verbal Interactions with other breast cancer survivors
Support Groups
(Rees & Bath 2001)

Sources of Information
for Breast Cancer Patients (Cont.)

Hospital leaflets
Specialist Nurses
Medical Books and Journals
Non-medical sources

(Cowan & Hoskins 2007)

Family members
Friends
Coworkers
Telephone hotlines
Television or radio
(Nagler et al 2010)

Information Disparities
In Patient Education Materials
Materials should be aimed at 8th grade levels

or below. (Beaver & Luker 1997)

Materials currently written 10th grade or
higher. (DAlessandro etal. 2001)
Neither is appropriate for all health
information seekers. (Williamson &
Manaszewicz 2002)
(Williamson 2006)

Conclusion
When it comes to health every one is different.
When a person discovers that they have cancer their innate
coping skills range from I need to know everything Right
Now! to If I dont think about it, it isnt real. Eventually,
people at both ends of the cancer spectrum come to accept
the reality of their situation. When they are ready, they
seek health/medical information in order to make the best
decision possible. When this happens, libraries need to be
equipped with all the latest materials/resources/databases to
provide the user with the highest quality information.

Recommendations
People in need of health information do not always seek
that which they need. For those that do, information
specialists should make the information session as easy as
possible.
Health Information-giving requires:
Sensitivity to each individuals needs
Flexibility on behalf of the people providing the information
Effective communication skills (Van Der Molen 1999)
Written information needs to be supported with verbal
explanations (Van Der Molen 2000)

Recommendations (Cont.)
Health information-giving requires:
Reliable information sources
Accessibility to the Internet (for valid web-based information)
Proxies (intermediaries) have a full understanding of material
provided (Nagler et al 2009)
Access to On-line Databases that contain relevant data from
medical books/ journals, newspapers and magazines (Cowan
et al 2007)
Accessibility to multi-media enhancements, to assist those
seekers, with low literacy skills or those who do not speak
English (Williamson & Manaszewicz 2002)

Health information behavior of minorities/lowincome individuals

United States immigrants experience heavy burdens of ethic and racial

disparities in healthcare compared with the US-born population (Gany et

al. 2006).
Racial/ethnic disparities have been observed throughout the healthcare
system including: (Gany et al. 2006)
Access to health care
Quality of care delivered
Health outcomes
Minorities are more likely to be uninsured, have fewer health care options,
and confront more barriers to care than white Americans (Louis Harris and
Associates, 1995)

Factors That Affect Health Information Behavior of

Minorities/low-income individuals
(Richardson et al. 2012)
Education
Less than high school education= less likely to trust a doctor
College degree= more likely to trust a doctor
People with a high school diploma or less, trust in television and

religious organizations and leaders over government health

agencies
Fear/Avoidance
mental stress
Finances
Cannot afford treatment/screenings
Language barriers
Doctor/Patient communication

Factors that affect people with low-income

Why the Poor are Poorer in Health?
(Berkman and Kawachi, 2000; Bjerregaard & Young, 1999)
The health of people is affected by many factors:
Where we live
The state of the environment (including

housing and sanitation)

Genetics
Income
Education levels
Relationship with friends and families
Empirical studies have shown consistently that a
persons place in the social order affects health
and longevity and they are worth noting even
more than smoking (Evans et al. 2001; Fein, 1995;
Haines et al.; 1998)
Access to healthcare
Cannot afford health insurance
Turn to self-treatment

Disparities In HIB of minorities

(Gany et al. 2006)
Despite an observed decrease in overall cancer death rates in

the USA, immigrant minorities continue to experience

disproportionately higher cancer incidence and mortality rates
for many cancers (Lin et al. 2002; Seeff &McKenna 2003)
The higher mortality rates have been attributed to a variety of
socio-cultural factors, including:
A lack of cancer education and awareness
Lack of access to preventative and screening services
Institutional barriers related to immigrants socioeconomic status

Language barriers
Cultural beliefs

(Jenkins et al. 1996; Remennick 1999; Meana et al. 2001; Bernstein et al. 2002;
Salant & Lauderdale 2003; Scarinci et al. 2003)

Belief Systems and HIB

(Gany et al. 2006)
Across several studies, many immigrant groups were observed

to lack knowledge of the etiology and spread of cancer (Shankar

& Figueroa-Valles 1999; Margolis et al. 2003)

A telephone survey of 798 Chinese immigrants living in San

Francisco found that one quarter of the participants believe

cancer is contagious
Many also believe cancer is caused by environmental factors
as well as personal action, such as immoral behavior (WongKim et al. 2003)

Belief Systems and HIB (cont.)

(Gany et al. 2006)
One study suggests that cancer

attitudes such as anxiety,

hopelessness, and denial were
held more often by Hispanic
women
In a study comparing Dominican
and Mexican women, Mexican
women more often cited shame
or embarrassment and Dominican
women more often cited fear to
explain why they do not have
mammograms (Garbers et al.
2003)
In the English-speaking Carribean,
Haitian, and Latino groups, God
was noted the most important
provider of health

Information Blunting
Information blunting- According to Miller (1991) ,

blunting is the extent to which an individual avoids

threatening information

Sources of Information
Doctors trust differs by

demographic characteristics
Religious organizations or
leaders
Newspapers or magazines
Television
Charitable organizations
Government health agencies
Internet

Sources of Information (cont.)

(Gany et al. 2006)
Chinese participants found doctors through newspapers, radio,

and the internet. Koreans also used newspaper

advertisements to find their doctor.
Low income and undocumented individuals in the Chinese
community visit unlicensed doctors for medical care because
unlicensed doctors charge less for medical services than
licensed physicians.
Participants stated that having healthcare changed their
healthcare seeking behavior.
Many people in their community did not know about free or
cost-adjusted services.

Sources of Information (cont.)

Some scholars have argued that
knowledge gaps in mass media
stem from differences in topicrelated interest or involvement
rather than from differences in
cognitive abilities because the
sort of information disseminated
by mass mediais not so
complicated that it requires highly
sophisticated information
processing skills (Ettema et al.,
1983).
Less educated cancer patients
may seek health information from
mass media as frequently as more
educated cancer patients.

Suggestions for Doctors/ health care providers/Library

and Information Professionals
Work with doctors and other health care providers through

communications training and workshops integrated into medical

school and continuing medical education to ensure that they set
their biases aside and treat all patients with equal respect, attention
and care
Health education and health promotion programs that use lay
health workers to reach community members, and health
communications campaigns that work
Culture fundamentally shapes how individuals make meaning out of
illness, suffering and dying. Because the customs, rituals, and beliefs
of the groups to which individuals belong affect their experiences
with death, grief, and illness, healthcare professionals need to be
open to learning about them to better understand and help
(Clements et al. 2003).

Resources for Minorities/ lowincome individuals

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Office of Minority Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Health Resources and Services Administration
Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Minority
Health

INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOR
OF
DOCTORS

Model of the Information Seeking of Professionals

Leckie/Pettigrew/Sylvain (1996) Social Approach

Concern with work What people do in their jobs and how

they do it

What information practices are embedded within

professional work?
How do those practices function to contribute to the
work
Can those practices be improved or changed for the
better?

Model of Information Seeking of Professionals

Professionals have numerous

work roles (multiple arrows)

Roles have numerous tasks
associated with them (multiple
arrows)
Tasks in each role prompt
information seeking
Intervening factors inhibit or
facilitate the finding or use of
information for tasks
Usually takes more than one
attempt to find information
(feedback)

Factors Shaping Information Needs of Professionals

Status in the organization

Years of experience
Area of specialization

These factors act as a filter in the information seeking process. Once process
begins, factors which affect success or failure include:

Information sources available

Knowledge of information sources
Usefulness of information sources

End result is an outcome

which either moves the work forward (report or service)
or requires further information seeking for clarification
A primary impetus for work related information practices is the understanding of
roles and tasks

Seminal work on information needs of doctors in office practice/Preinternet

David Covell M.D (1985) Physicians have a need for highly specific non-recurrent
points of information related to an individual patients problem. Pedagogic
continuing medical education (CME) cannot affect problem solving at this level
and fails to improve patient care practices.

99% of physicians report a need for outside information on a daily basis in

managing patients
Doctors generate an average of 2 questions for every 3 patients
o 43% are questions of medical opinion
o 40% were questions of fact (dosage/side effects)
o 17% were nonmedical information
Primary information source is another physician (53%); secondary source is
textbooks

Covell (cont.)

Solo practitioners used other doctors as their primary source use of

information 61.5% of the time; Group practitioners used other doctors
47.2% of the time
69% of questions by specialists dealt with problems outside their specialty
Information from journals was newer but more readily obtainable from
textbooks (indexing)
33% of doctors had no organized method for storing and retrieving journal
articles
Primary barrier to obtaining information is lack of time to look up
information
o Secondary barriers include cost of sources, poor organization of
sources, quality of sources, lack of skill in formulating a query in terms
that result in answers

Results & Recommendations

CME (continuing medical education) is intended to expand the knowledge
and skills of doctors and to promote effective patient care. However CME is
targeted to the needs of groups of doctors or specialists and does not
adequately address the need for highly specific non-recurrent information in
patient care.

Covell calls for medical educators to develop and test models that can
efficiently provide for information needs of physicians including:

More efficient access to printed information via computers

Creation of indexing and retrieval systems
Training for physicians in formulating queries

EBM Evidence Based Medicine

In the mid-1990s, as health care workers found themselves
unable to cope with the influx of a huge variety of new
information, EBM emerged as a solution to integrate the best
research evidence with clinical expertise to guide decision
making in clinical practice.
Biomedical research information doubles every 20 years
EBM methodologies include hierarchy of evidence, metaanalyses, confidence intervals and study design

Literature Review of Information-seeking

behavior of doctors from 1996-2006 - Karen
Davies (2007)

Review attempted to identify the information needs of

doctors, information seeking behaviors and the information
sources utilized by doctors relative to the emergence of

evidence based medicine (EBM) and the advent of the

digital age and new information technologies.

Information Needs of Doctors

Articulated or expressed need

Aware of gap in knowledge
80% of questions by doctors are related to patient care
Top categories of information needs include:
o 38% Treatment or therapy information needs
o 24% Diagnosis information need
o 11% Drug Therapy information need
The more senior the doctor the more likely information need will be
foreground (directly related to patient, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis);
interns information needs tend to be background (general information on a
disease)(Cheng and Green et al.)
Frequency of information need ranged from .16 to 1.27 questions per patient
and was higher in a teaching setting such as a university clinic (Ramos et al.)
No significant differences in information needs between rural and non-rural
areas (Gorman et al.)

Information Seeking by Doctors

Whether or not information need is pursued depends on the Doctors
ability to identify their need and then to express the need in terms that
are searchable.
Key barrier to information searching is time

40% of questions were not pursed because of lack of time

Specialists spent an average of 15 minutes searching
Residents spent less than 2 minutes searching
Search must return a result within 10 to 25 seconds to be practical at
bedside; less than 2 minutes in a consultation

Other barrier to information searching include:

Poor IT skills Database navigation difficulties
Poor query formation - Poor searching skills by doctors

Information Searching Skills

Because of the volume of information available, poor searching/navigating skills
hinder retrieval of required evidence

Doctors search efficiency is very good only 18% of time; fair 52% and poor 30%
of time.
When information is not located in a database, it is assumed by doctor not to
exist.
Doctors believe search failed because of lack of relevant evidence rather than
realizing errors in their search strategy
Do not have skill to convert clinical question to a searchable strategy for an
information resource
Question formulation does not improve as doctors progress through their
clinical training
62% cite lack of training as the most common barrier to using databases
Only 34 % had availed themselves of the opportunity for on-site training

Information Sources Utilized by Doctors

Since 1996 when evidence-based medicine was defined, doctors have
increasingly turned to online sources for their information
Pre 1996 ranking of info sources: Text sources/Colleagues/Electronic
resources
Post 1996 ranking of info sources: Electronic resources/Colleagues/Text
sources
Primary electronic resources utilized are MEDLINE (US) and Cochrane Library
(UK)

Difficulties encountered by doctors when using electronic resources include:

Excessive time required to find information

Selection of correct search terms
Selection of optimal search strategy
Failure of resource to cover topic
Uncertainty about how to know when to stop search

Information Sources Utilized by Doctors (cont.)

Even since the advent of EBM doctors consistently rely (40%) on other
doctors as a primary information source
Colleagues are familiar, reliable, immediately available and
inexpensive
Give concise, organized answers that synthesize available
information
Provides for socialization, departure from routine, display personal
knowledge and generation of professional contacts
Doctors tend to respond to information problems along known
pathways which are established early in a medical career

Recommendations for Professional Practice

Doctors need to be made aware of the library as an online information enabler
Doctors need to develop the skills necessary to undertake literature searching or
be signposted to librarians who can find the information for them
Doctors need to be taught by librarians how to evaluate websites when using
search engines
Librarians need to highlight reviewed resources such as MEDLINE and the
Cochrane Library
Librarians must provide information literacy training
Use of evidence based medicine (EBM) must be championed by librarians
Librarians have a role to play in training users to use online resources effectively
for patient care
Need to tailor training to specific needs of individuals and user groups
Librarians need to develop an understanding of the real world information needs
of doctors in a practice based scenario vs. an academic searching environment.
Need to promote library service and staff as information enablers by
collaborative training
Need to facilitate access to online resources when users are geographically
remote or community rather than hospital based

Curbside Consultation and the implications for health sciences

library services Perley(2006)
Curbside consultation is the seeking of information or advice about patient care from
another doctor with a particular expertise without benefit of a formal consultation or
referral takes place opportunistically.

Doctors work in a social context work in concert rather than autonomously

Use global (crosses geographic boundaries) as well as local (site specific) clinical
knowledge
Local routines determine a doctors frame of reference and articulation of problems
Local frame of reference determines whether external evidence is relevant

Curbside consultation similar to Taljas Web of Knowledge

Information being formed within a socially constituted episteme or web of

knowledge
Guided by similar sets of assumptions about how medicine is done in a particular
community

Recommendations for Professional practice

Health sciences librarians must acknowledge and understand use of the curbside
consultation to obtain and construct knowledge

Importance of oral construction - seek out colleagues rather than conduct a

literature search
Curbside consultations eliminate obstacles of time, accessibility and applicability
Application of human intellectual capital to problem with consultation as access
point
Implications on how library staff communicates with doctors as well as manner in
which results on clinical information searches are packaged and delivered.
Librarians must identify local customs in place (how and where doctors interact)
and use information in strategic allocation of library resources and services
Must develop relationships with local doctors who are considered experts
Librarians can design selective dissemination of information( SDI) services specific
to those subject areas
Diffusion of information to targeted doctors who then disseminate information

For Further Reference

Annals of Internal Medicine
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Cancer Nursing
Ethnicity & Health
European Journal of Cancer Care
Health Communication
Health Information & Libraries Journal
Health Sociology Review

For Further Reference

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and

Underserved
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Journal of the Medical Library Association
New Review of Information Behavior Research
Oncology Nursing Forum
Patient Education and Counseling

Discussion Question 1
Monitoring and Blunting are information-seeking

behaviors found in Medical HIB. How can information

specialists assist those who are too stressed to
understand what they seek? Medical HIB touches on very
tender topics. What can information specialists do to
alleviate apprehension and anxiety?

Discussion Question 2
From the Covell study in 1985 to the Davies review of
2007 one consistent factor in the information
behavior of physicians is their preference to utilize
other physicians as a primary information source. In
the age of evidence-based medicine, how can
medical librarians promote the usage of electronic
databases such as MEDLINE to inform practice given a
physician preference for oral construction?