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Clinical information seeking in traumatic brain injury: a survey of Veterans Health Administration polytrauma care team members
Author(s) -
Hogan Timothy,
Martinez Rachael,
Evans Charlesnika,
Saban Karen,
Proescher Eric,
Steiner Monica,
Smith Bridget
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
health information and libraries journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.779
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1471-1842
pISSN - 1471-1834
DOI - 10.1111/hir.12203
Subject(s) - polytrauma , administration (probate law) , medicine , traumatic brain injury , medical emergency , health care , emergency medicine , psychiatry , economics , economic growth , political science , law
Background The polytraumatic nature of traumatic brain injury ( TBI ) makes diagnosis and treatment difficult. Objectives To (1) characterise information needs among Veterans Health Administration ( VHA ) polytrauma care team members engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of TBI ; (2) identify sources used for TBI related information; and (3) identify barriers to accessing TBI related information. Methods Cross‐sectional online survey of 236 VHA polytrauma care team members. Results Most respondents (95.8%) keep at least somewhat current regarding TBI , but 31.5% need more knowledge on diagnosing TBI and 51.3% need more knowledge on treating TBI . Respondents use VHA affiliated sources for information, including local colleagues (81.7%), VHA offsite conferences/meetings (78.3%) and onsite VHA educational offerings (73.6%); however, limited time due to administrative responsibilities (50.9%), limited financial resources (50.4%) and patient care (50.4%) were prominent barriers. Discussion Medical librarians are in a unique position to develop information services, resources and other electronic tools that reflect the clinical context in which polytrauma care team members practice, and the different tasks they perform. Conclusion Polytrauma care team members could benefit from additional information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of TBI . Addressing their information needs and supporting their information seeking requires a mulit‐pronged approach to time and financial constraints.