Junior physician's use of Web 2.0 for information seeking and medical education: A qualitative study
Section snippets
Background
The Internet has attracted considerable attention as a means to improve health care delivery through its use by both medical professionals and patients [1]. Physicians use the internet far more than the general public [2], and though physicians still prefer to consult with colleagues on complex cases [3], the internet is viewed as an increasingly important source of medical information [4]. This use of the internet is being impacted by Web 2.0, a term that represents a second generation of
Methods
Various procedures exist for examining online behaviours including log-files, screen recording devices, think aloud data (a major source of information on subject's cognitive processes), post-use interviews, or survey instruments amongst others [23], [24]. In particular, scholars have observed that log files are useful for describing detailed patterns of use (or the what), but are not useful in describing choice behaviours [24], as little information about specific cognitive choices can be
Results
Of the participants contacted, 90% (50/55) completed the questionnaire and 63% (35/55) completed all three components. Consequently, only information from this final group was used. The group worked across a variety of specialities, had an average age of 27 years, and a male to female ratio of 0.75 to 1. The diaries represented 177 days of recorded internet use and 444 search incidents on different sites.
Discussion
There are clearly a number of contradictions in Web 2.0 use. Although credibility of information was the most cited concern, tools such as Wikipedia or Google are used 3 times more in our sample than PubMed, the “official” best evidence tool introduced in medical school. This contradiction can be explained by the different types of information needed and the greater usability of Web 2.0 tools, where the tendency is to use Web 2.0 tools for open questions, and best evidence tools for closed
Conclusion
Internet tools not specifically designed for medical use, such as Google or user-generated content sites like Wikipedia, are being regularly employed in clinical practice by junior physicians. While information credibility remains a concern, these are viable medical tools, where Google's familiarity and reach makes it is an effective navigational gateway for physicians to access trusted sites (held in their mental inventory). This mental inventory of trusted sites also includes user-generated
Acknowledgments
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS trust aided the study, both in completing the initial ethical review (finally no ethics approval was required), and with selected physicians both aiding in the data collection and manuscript revision. All data was collected in the UK.
References (42)
For what purpose and reasons do physicians use the Internet: a systematic review
Int. J. Med. Inform.
(2008)- et al.
Creating and sharing clinical decision support content with Web 2.0: Issues and examples
J. Biomed. Inform.
(2009) - et al.
Do online information retrieval systems help experienced clinicians answer clinical questions?
J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc.
(2005) - et al.
A comparison of World Wide Web resources for identifying medical information
Acad. Radiol.
(2008) The influence of mental models on undergraduate students’ searching behaviour on the Web
Inform. Process. Manag.
(2008)- et al.
Learning radiology a survey investigating radiology resident use of textbooks, journals, and the internet
Acad. Radiol.
(2007) - et al.
Grand challenges in clinical decision support
J. Biomed. Inform.
(2008) - et al.
Scotch M. HCLS 2. 0/3. 0: health care and life sciences data mashup using Web 2.0/3.0
J. Biomed. Inform.
(2008) - et al.
Use of the Internet and e-mail for health care information: results from a national survey
JAMA
(2003) - et al.
Information-seeking behaviours and reflective practice
J. Contin. Educ. Health Prof.
(2006)
Physicians’ Internet information-seeking behaviours
J. Contin. Educ. Health Prof.
How Web 2.0 is changing medicine
BMJ
The emerging Web 2.0 social software: an enabling suite of sociable technologies in health and health care education
Health Info. Libr. J.
The effect of Web 2.0 on the future of medical practice and education: Darwikinian evolution or folksonomic revolution?
Med. J. Aust.
New horizons for e-learning in medical education: ecological and Web 2.0 perspectives
Med. Teach.
Schroter S. Web 2.0 technologies for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education: an online survey
Postgrad. Med. J.
Wareham J. Medicine 2.0: Tensions and controversies in the field
J. Med. Internet. Res.
DSS in healthcare: advances and opportunities
Googling for a diagnosis—use of Google as a diagnostic aid: internet based study
BMJ
Does general practice Google?
Aust. Fam. Physician
Cited by (172)
Exploring perceived online information quality: a mixed-method approach
2024, Journal of DocumentationReadability of Wikipedia pages on andrology and gynecology: comparative study
2023, Universal Access in the Information SocietyCan pharmacy students use Wikipedia as a learning resource? Critical assessment of articles on chemotherapeutic drugs
2023, Advances in Physiology EducationCritical Evaluation of Information as a New Threshold Concept for Navigating STEM Information
2023, Science and Technology Libraries