Modelling of physicians' clinical information-seeking behaviour in Iran: a grounded theory study.

OBJECTIVES: Exploring clinical information-seeking behaviour (CISB) and its associated factors contributes to its theoretical advancement and offers a valuable framework for addressing physicians' information needs. This study delved into the dimensions, interactions, strategies and determinants of CISB among physicians at the point of care. DESIGN: A grounded theory study was developed based on Strauss and Corbin's approach. Data were collected by semistructured interviews and then analysed through open, axial and selective coding. SETTING: The study was conducted at academic centres affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. PARTICIPANTS: This investigation involved recruiting 21 specialists and subspecialists from the academic centres. RESULTS: The findings revealed that physicians' CISB encompassed multiple dimensions when addressing clinical inquiries. Seven principal themes emerged from the analysis: 'clinical information needs', 'clinical question characteristics', 'clinical information resources', 'information usability', 'factors influencing information seeking', 'action/interaction encountering clinical questions' and 'consequences of CISB'. The core category identified in this study was 'focused attention'. CONCLUSIONS: The theoretical explanation demonstrated that the CISB process was interactive and dynamic. Various stimuli, including causal, contextual and intervening conditions, guide physicians in adopting information-seeking strategies and focusing on resolving clinical challenges. However, insufficient stimuli may hinder physicians' engagement in CISB. Understanding CISB helps managers, policy-makers, clinical librarians and information system designers optimally implement several interventions, such as suitable training methods, reviewing monitoring and evaluating information systems, improving clinical decision support systems, electronic medical records and electronic health records, as well as monitoring and evaluating these systems. Such measures facilitate focused attention on clinical issues and promote CISB among physicians.

Development and validation of the clinical information literacy questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Clinical Information Literacy (CIL) seems to be a prerequisite for physicians to implement Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) effectively. This study endeavors to develop and validate a CIL questionnaire for medical residents of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study employs sequential-exploratory mixed methods in 2019. The participants were 200 medical residents in different specialties; they are selected through the convenience sampling method. In the first (qualitative) phase, an early CIL questionnaire was designed by reviewing literature and performing complementary interviews with health professionals. In the second (validation) phase, the questionnaire's face validity and content validity were confirmed. In the third (quantitative) phase, the construct validity was examined via Item-Response Theory (IRT) model, and the factor loading was computed. The gathered data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, two-way ANOVA, as well as two-parameter IRT model in R software. RESULTS: In the qualitative phase, the concept of CIL is initially described in seven main categories and 22 subcategories, and the items were formulated. An initial 125-item questionnaire was analyzed by the research team, leading to a 43-item. Through the content validity and face validity examination, we removed 11 and 4 items in the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI), respectively. Throughout the face validity analysis, none of the items were removed. According to the construct validity results, difficulty coefficient, discriminant coefficient, and factor loading were confirmed, most of the other questions achieved a proper factor loading value that is higher than 0.30, and a value of 0.66 was achieved for the reliability via the Kuder-Richardson method. Ultimately, the real-assessment 28-item CIL questionnaire was developed with four components. CONCLUSIONS: The CIL questionnaire could be employed to examine the actual CIL basic knowledge. Because of using the real-assessment approach rather than self-assessment in the design, it can be claimed that this instrument can provide a more accurate assessment of the information literacy status of medical residents. This valid questionnaire is used to measure and train the skills needed by healthcare professionals in the effective implementation of EBM.

Identifying the challenges of holding comprehensive exams in the Ph.D. programs of Iranian medical universities: A protocol for qualitative research.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of Ph.D. education is to train students equipped with science in a particular area and familiar with research methods and the most recent foundations of education and research to apply their knowledge, creativity, and innovation in research and scientific areas to meet the needs of the society, extending the frontiers of knowledge in their special field, and reach undetected areas in the world of science, especially health. One component of evaluating Ph.D. students in medical universities is the comprehensive exam that aims to assess Ph.D. students' skills, knowledge, and experiences in both educational and research areas. However, the process sometimes encounters substantial administrative challenges and problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study protocol, we will interview. Ph.D. students, members of the examining committees of comprehensive exams, and educational practitioners involved in the administration of the comprehensive exam in District 7 of Iran's medical universities (Isfahan, Kashan, Yazd, and Shaherekord)) as one of the 10 major districts of medical education in the country (Iran). RESULTS: Thus, the present study will identify the challenges of the comprehensive exam to find ways to eliminate them and offer suitable solutions to increase the effectiveness of the exam. CONCLUSION: Indeed, what is expected from this study is to help educational practitioners and policymakers in medical universities detect the strengths and weaknesses of administering the comprehensive exam and help educational practitioners and policymakers detect potential alternatives for the present comprehensive exam.

Theoretical issues in medical library and information sciences' articles published in scopus and web of science databases: A scoping review.

Nowadays, professions with stronger theoretical background usually have a better standing among other academic fields. The field of Medical Library and Information Science (MLIS) also requires developments in theoretical issues to increase its ranking and provide more effective support services and higher quality research. The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of publications in MLIS in Scopus and Web of Sciences databases to identify the underlying theoretical issues in this field. The research method was a scoping review conducted in February 2022. Articles published in the field of MLIS for which the main theme or research outcomes were based on theoretical foundations, patterns, frameworks, theories and models, and without limitation on time were retrieved from Web of Science and Scopus databases. The retrieved articles were analyzed after necessary screening and evaluation. Based on the determined criteria, 49 articles were eventually analyzed. Patterns, theories, frameworks, and models used in the articles have been categorized into six general groups: (1) information (general) and information literacy; (2) models of evaluation and support services in libraries and information centers; (3) clinical, embedded librarianship, and professional librarianship; (4) scientometrics, selection and evaluation of articles, journals, and serials; (5) open access content; and (6) psychological and sociological models. The results indicate that published articles in the field of MLIS have used a considerable range of models, theories, and frameworks as the most important elements of theoretical concepts. These models, theories, and frameworks have been categorized into six main groups, a number of which have been involving collection development, organization of material, and most have been overseeing the distribution of information and support services in libraries and information centers. Whereas MLIS is an interdisciplinary field with specific applications for access to and distribution of information, it still has considerable potential for presenting models, frameworks, and theories.

An explanation on the process of production to the utilization of patient education media in chronic diseases in Iran: Protocol for a grounded theory study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases are always considered one of the most critical challenges of the health system in any country. Patient education on self-care is one of the basic strategies in controlling the disease process and minimizing complications in patients with chronic diseases. It seems that in the process of patient education, from the preparation of materials to their delivery to the final user, many problems prevent the proper and practical education. The study aims to explain the process of production to the utilization of patient education media in chronic diseases in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study employs a grounded theory (GT) methodology and the data will be analyzed by Strauss and Corbin method. Participants in this study include groups involved in the field of patient education, including policymakers, managers at all management levels, clinical, educational, and public health service providers (physicians, nurses, medical librarians, medical, and nursing professors, NGOs in the field of patient education, physiotherapists, nutritionists, and psychologists) as well as service receivers such as patients, their family, and caregivers whom will be all selected through theoretical as well as snowball sampling method. The interview method will be semi-structured and will not be ceased until the data is saturated. CONCLUSIONS: It is anticipated that in this study, the pros and cons of the process of production to utilization of patient education media will be identified and appropriate solutions to improve this process will be provided.

COVID-19 information seeking needs and behaviour among citizens in Isfahan, Iran: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Access to reliable and credible health information improves individuals' personal care level in crises, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It subsequently results in enhancing the community's health and reducing the health system's costs. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 related information seeking behaviour demonstrated by citizens in Isfahan, Iran. METHODS: This research was conducted in 2020 and employed a qualitative approach using conventional content analysis. The research population was selected from almost different social classes of people in Iran using purposive sampling. The saturation point was reached at 24 semi-structured interviews. The data's soundness was confirmed based on the criteria of credibility, confirmability, dependability and transferability proposed by Guba and Lincoln. RESULTS: The findings revealed five subcategories and 25 codes within the information seeking behaviour. The subcategories included attitude towards the COVID-19 crisis, information needs, information resources, information validation and information seeking barriers. CONCLUSION: People seek information from various resources to update their knowledge and become more prepared in the face of COVID-19. The findings can be used to develop policies on informing and preventing the dissemination of false information in crises, such as the COVID-19 crisis.

Dissemination and Acceptance of COVID-19 Misinformation in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Misinformation refers to unclear information from unreliable resources, and it is a common phenomenon of society; it can even constitute a part of family and social conversations due to the relative damages. Misinformation dissemination under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a cause of health-related anxieties and severe harm to the countries. The present study aims to explain factors related to the dissemination and acceptance of coronavirus misinformation in Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This qualitative study was carried out through content analysis in the year 2020. The population included Iranian experts in Information and Communication Sciences, among whom 19 experts were selected through the purposive sampling method. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through Continuous Thematic Analysis. Such criteria authenticated data trustworthiness as credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability proposed by Guba and Lincoln. FINDINGS: Based on the experiences of participants, six major categories and 18 subcategories were identified regarding the major theme. The major categories included the official news and informing system, misinformation nature, users, media, misinformation source, and social determinants. CONCLUSION: Concurrent with the Covid-19 outbreak, a sort of information tsunami occurs. Unavoidably, a significant amount of misinformation regarding the various aspects of the virus, such as its origin, transmission methods, control, and treatment, are published. In many cases, the spreading information is not checked and verified in terms of accuracy and authenticity. The spread and acceptance of Covid-19 related misinformation happen under the impact of various factors. Being familiar with these factors will boost the culture of health and pave the path toward establishing evidence-based information public awareness schemes.

Facilitating and Inhibiting Factors of Clinical Knowledge Sharing among Medical Specialists in University Hospitals.

Background: Clinical knowledge sharing (CKS) is one of the key points of knowledge management in the field of health and significantly increases the quality of care and patient safety. It also provides the achievement of an efficient system in hospitals and educational and treatment centers involved in clinical processes in order to make the best clinical decisions. The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that facilitate and inhibit CKS among medical specialists in the educational-treatment hospitals in Iran. Methods: This was an applied qualitative study with the conventional content analysis method conducted in 2022. The data collection tool was a semi-structured interview. The participants were 13 medical specialists and sub-specialists working in educational-treatment hospitals of the country, who were selected by purposeful and snowball sampling. The method of data analysis was based on Graneheim and Lundman's five-step method, which was followed by codes, sub-categories, main categories, and classifications. Results: After conducting the interviews and assessing their content, finally, 193 codes were extracted, which were identified in two general classification of facilitating and inhibiting factors with 92 and 101 concepts, respectively. Facilitating factors in the three main categories of "education in the context of culture, society and university", "planning and implementation management", and "behavioral-motivational factors" and inhibiting factors in the four main categories of "infrastructural, policy-making and cultural challenges", "technological and scientific infrastructural challenges", "personality-behavioral challenges", and "financial and non-financial motivations" were classified. Conclusions: The participants of the research pointed out the effective role of CKS in keeping them up-to-date in the use of diagnostic, therapeutic, and even drug prescribing methods. According to their belief, knowledge sharing (KS) in the clinical setting will reduce diagnostic errors and cause the primordial prevention of diseases as well as increase the knowledge and awareness of the society members.

Health information-seeking behavior of nursing students in Isfahan city about COVID-19 disease.

BACKGROUND: The proper planning to help the health information-seeking behavior (HISB), as well as promoting its quantitative and qualitative level among nursing students increases educational efficiency and enables provide appropriate services to patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the HISB of nursing students in the process of obtaining information about the emerging disease of COVID-19 in Isfahan city. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The present cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in Isfahan´ s faculties of nursing and educational hospitals. The research sample included 448 students who met the inclusion criteria, using convenience sampling. Lenz's HISB questionnaire was used to collect information. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences statistical software version 20, using descriptive and inferential statistics, with confidence interval = 95%. RESULTS: The results indicate a statistically significant relationship between the age and marital status of students with the overall score of the HISB of nursing students (P < 0.05). Regarding the study, information was mostly obtained from "social media" (43.7%) although the participants more trusted in "health experts" (57.5%). The results of the present study indicated that the students often searched for "disease symptoms" (38.8%) and "epidemiological issues" (22.5%). DISCUSSION: "Internet sites and search engines" and "social media" provide quick access to information for users, which is one of the reasons for favoring these sources. However, they can be a platform for disseminating false and invalid information. Thus, other reliable sources such as the Ministry of Health and Medical Education should play a greater role in creating content on social media.

Exploring the Motivations of Pregnant Women to Seek Health Information: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Health information-seeking behavior is directed by various factors. Understanding the motivations of pregnant women to obtain health information can facilitate evidence-based policy-making to enhance their health literacy. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the motivations of pregnant women to seek health information. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study with a content analysis approach, 39 participants, including pregnant women, midwives, and gynecologists in Isfahan city, Iran, were selected via purposive sampling with maximum variation strategy. Individual interviews, field notes, and daily notes were used to collect data, which was then analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Results: Analysis of data resulted in one main category of "strive to protect the health of mother and fetus." This main category consisted of four subcategories, including "increasing information related to maternal and fetal health," "preventing recurring problems or causing complications in pregnancy," "reducing worry about pregnancy problem," and "receiving encouragement from the spouse, relatives, and healthcare providers." Conclusions: According to the findings, pregnant women seek health information for a variety of reasons, including learning more about their own health and that of their fetus, preventing recurring problems or complications, alleviating concerns about pregnancy problems, and receiving encouragement from husbands, relatives, and healthcare providers. Thus, health professionals, midwives, and antenatal care providers should be aware of these issues and provide more evidence-based information to pregnant women at the time they require it.

Identification of the factors related to the clinical knowledge sharing: A protocol for systematic review.

Today, the ability of the organizations to successfully knowledge management and sharing can help them in better performance. Effective knowledge sharing (KS) in the clinical context provides better clinical decisions and improves the quality of care services. This systematic review will be conducted to identify the factors related to the clinical KS (CKS). This systematic literature review will be conducted to search the published documents about the affecting factors on the (clinical) KS. To this end, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, Cochrane, Embase, SID, Magiran, IranDoc, and ISC will be thoroughly assessed with considered keywords and search strategy. No time limit will be considered and all relevant documents published will be evaluated until the start date of the search. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review study has been conducted on the factors related to CKS and our research will try to comprehensively extract the effective factors in this topic. Identifying the factors affecting CKS will lead to transparency in the exchange and interpretation of clinical knowledge in clinical care delivery and making the best clinical decisions as well as improving the quality of clinical care. It will also provide a condition to facilitate the delivery of more effective clinical education for policymakers in the field of clinical education.

Effective factors on establishment of knowledge translation in the health system policy-making: A protocol for systematic review.

Despite the importance and position of evidence-based policymaking in the proper management of the health system, studies show that the lack or improper and untimely use of evidence are still one of the main challenges of health systems. Knowledge translation as a solution to this challenge is a process that includes a period of time that starts of decision to choose the research topic and continue to publish of research results, in which the interaction of the researchers and stakeholders is the key factor and the main axis of the process. Since the recognition and promotion of knowledge translation processes resulting from research in health system policy-making will lead to the improvement of the health system, this review protocol was designed to identify factors affecting knowledge translation implementation, including barriers and facilitators of this process. Identifying these factors can be used as a guide for health system decision-makers and research managers in planning to select appropriate policies for deployment of the knowledge translation process to increase the use of research results in the health system.

Image retrieval behavior of medical students.

BACKGROUND: The first step to properly designing image retrieval systems with the aim of meeting the needs of students and researchers is to be fully aware of their behavior in the face of these systems and image resources. The purpose of this study is to identify image retrieval behavior of medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is an applied research that has been done by descriptive-survey method. The statistical population of this study is 816 general (clinical) medical students who are studying in the fourth and fifth years. Using Morgan and Krejcie table, the number of statistical sample members was 265 who were selected using random sampling method. Research data have been gathered using a questionnaire (researcher made) and then analyzed using SPSS22 software. RESULTS: The findings showed that 78.1% of students consider the use of images in class presentations or scientific reporting as the most important reason. According to 73.6% of respondents, the highest rate of image search is in the form of videos. About 76.2% of them consider general search engines to be the most common source for receiving images. For this purpose, only 3.8% of students refer to the librarians. Among the databases from which medical images can be obtained, the most well-known source was the Springer website, which 30.6% of respondents were familiar. CONCLUSION: The process of meeting the image-seeking needs is influenced by various individual, social, and other factors. This study can improve this process by providing the necessary suggestions to medical students, for eliminating barriers and problems in accessing reliable resources and visual information they require, to clarify the necessity of promoting technical knowledge to search accurately and to help for finding solutions to medical and treatment educational centers to have access to reliable and up-to-date information.

Identifying the roles of medical librarians in COVID-19 crisis in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The best mechanisms for medical librarians to be more involved in health, especially during crisis condition, and to expand their roles are using experiences of other individuals and performing new activities. This study aimed to identify the roles of medical librarians in the COVID-19 crisis in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was done by a qualitative content analysis method. Research participants in the first phase included whole scientific papers (19 documents) which had been published by medical librarians related to the COVID-19 issue and in the second phase 10 medical librarians involved in the COVID-19 who were interviewed and continued until data saturation. Data were collected through each interview, and data analysis was performed using content analysis method. Then, obtained information of the first and second phases was merged together, and codes, subcategories as well as main categories were formed. RESULTS: According to the results, 7 main categories and 24 subcategories regarding the roles of librarians in COVID-19 crisis were identified. The main categories include hygiene services promotion, development of health information-seeking skills, health research services, interaction-level development, evidence-based policy development, information dissemination services promotion, and management services development. Furthermore, regarding barriers to the role of medical librarians in the COVID-19 crisis in Iran, four subcategories were identified that are medical librarian-related barriers, organization-related barriers, profession-related barriers, and context of society (country conditions)-related barriers. CONCLUSION: Medical librarians relatively have been able to provide effective health information services to managers, health-care specialists, and the general public in a variety of health fields.

Personal, technical and organisational factors affect whether physicians seek answers to clinical questions during patient care: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Numerous questions are generated for physicians during patient care. Facilitators and barriers affect the physicians' clinical information-seeking behaviour. While most health studies have focused on barriers, few have dealt with facilitators. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to identify facilitators in physicians' information-seeking behaviour to help respond to clinical questions raised during patient care. METHODS: A narrative review was conducted, and 9 databases were searched. Selection criteria included original articles in the context of patient care and full-text articles published in the English language from 2002 to 2019. The articles were selected and analysed by group discussions. RESULTS: Analysis of studies disclosed personal, technical and organisational facilitators including 26 themes. Internet utilisation and information searching skills, more available time, personal interests and knowing preferred sites or textbooks were among the personal factors. The most common technical factors included providing navigation support, and ease of searching and finding needed information. The most commonly reported factors at the organisational level are closeness to Internet facility and access during the consultation. CONCLUSION: Information systems designers, health service managers and librarians may need to work together to provide systems and settings that encourage doctors to seek information to answer their clinical questions during patient care.

Designing a model of professional ethics excellence for clinical librarians.

OBJECTIVE: Developing and promoting professional ethics principles for clinical librarians can help the health care system balance the interests of all stakeholders, including clinical librarians, health care professionals, and patients. Therefore, the goal of this study was to design a model of professional ethics excellence for clinical librarians. METHODS: The authors conducted a descriptive applied study using literature review and the delphi method. The delphi panel included eleven experts in medical librarianship, library and information sciences, or information sciences and knowledge studies. RESULTS: After the delphi rounds, five concepts and forty-six components were identified and confirmed to provide a model of professional ethics excellence for clinical librarians. The highest-rated concept was excellence in communication. The highest-rated component was mastery in developing search strategies in information resources and databases. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying and applying principles of professional ethics among clinical librarians can enhance the professionalization of clinical librarians and result in better information services for physicians. Furthermore, incorporating these principles into the curriculum for health sciences library and information sciences students or into workshops for active clinical librarians can further formalize the profession and practice of evidence-based medicine.