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Information needs of United Kingdom primary care clinicians 1
Author(s) -
Swinglehurst Deborah A.
Publication year - 2005
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/j.1471-1842.2005.00579.x
Subject(s) - scope (computer science) , context (archaeology) , primary care , service (business) , information needs , medicine , evidence based practice , medline , nursing , knowledge management , health care , information system , health professionals , medical education , alternative medicine , family medicine , computer science , business , world wide web , political science , paleontology , pathology , marketing , law , biology , programming language
Background: The scope of primary care makes knowledge management in this context very challenging, especially as access to information increases and the role of primary care within the NHS expands. Objectives: This paper reviews the literature on the information needs of primary care clinicians to enable evidence‐based decision making. Drawing on the literature, and using a specific example of a clinical informaticist service, some lessons are drawn on the role of information professionals in facilitating evidence‐based health care. Methods: Literature review. Case study of clinical informaticist service. Conclusions: There are numerous barriers to clinicians engaging with evidence‐based practice. However, providing evidence‐based information to clinicians’ questions in a user‐friendly format has the potential to facilitate changes in practice. The successful implementation of information services requires attention to both academic and service dimensions, fostering closer working relationships between clinicians and information professionals.