How nurses behave online?

Registered nurses constitute the largest group of healthcare professionals with a rather distinctive and crucial role in healthcare services provision. For keeping up with their professional advances and follow the rapid and multifaceted scientific advances of medical practices they constantly require high quality of information. Internet and the online information resources play an important role towards the satisfaction of continual online information needs of nurses. This paper aims to investigate the online information needs of nurses and their internet seeking behaviour. Moreover, their perceptions for the role of information in nursing profession are studied. A survey informed by the Wilsons macro-model for information seeking behaviour is developed and included 87 registered nurses working at a public hospital. Data analysis involves descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests of correlation and differences between groups

Developing Health Information Literacy in Disadvantaged and Dependent Circumstances: The Everyday Role of Family Nurses

This paper examines the challenges of developing health information literacy (HIL) amongst disadvantaged and dependent populations from the perspective of non-information professionals occupying everyday support roles. Our participants were a team of UK Family Nurses providing outreach support to vulnerable young mothers from areas of multiple deprivations. Our data collection methods were observation, interviews, and focus groups. Our participants all believe that they have an important role in developing HIL in clients but are unfamiliar with fundamental overarching information literacy (IL) concepts and models. Consequently, their confidence in their own ability to develop HIL skills in clients is limited. We discuss that to extend primary healthcare practices beyond HIL support to HIL education requires not only IL training, but also an appropriate pedagogical approach adaptable to semi-structured problematic situations. We raise important questions regarding approaches to developing HIL in disadvantaged population

Information seeking behavioural paths of physicians for diabetes mellitus care: a qualitative comparative analysis of information needs, sources, and barriers

This study addresses diabetes physicians’ information seeking behavioural paths (digital, conventional, interpersonal) which lead to information needs satisfaction and the barriers encountered in this process. The study was based on empirical evidence from a survey of 159 physicians. Theoretical analysis was informed by Wilson’s model of information seeking behaviour. The data were analysed using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis method. The method was successful in identifying five behavioural paths leading to physicians’ information needs satisfaction (professional/health coaching) which demonstrate different relationships between information sources (conventional/interpersonal/digital) and information barriers (personal/digital illiteracy) and five behavioural paths that are not leading to satisfaction

Information professionals and copyright literacy: a multinational study

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a multinational survey on copyright literacy of specialists from libraries and other cultural institutions. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on a multinational survey of copyright literacy competencies of Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals and those who work in the cultural heritage sector (archives and museums), conducted in 13 countries, namely Bulgaria (BG), Croatia (CR), Finland (FI), France (FR), Hungary (HU), Lithuania (LT), Mexico (MX), Norway (NO), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Turkey (TR), UK and USA in the period July 2013-March 2015. An online survey instrument was developed in order to collect data from professionals regarding their familiarity with, knowledge and awareness of, and opinions on copyright-related issues. Findings: Findings of this study highlight gaps in existing knowledge of copyright, and information about the level of copyright literacy of LIS and cultural sector professionals. Also attitudes toward copyright learning content in academic education and continuing professional development training programs are investigated. Originality/value: This study aimed to address a gap in the literature by encompassing specialists from the cultural institutions in an international comparative context. The paper offers guidance for further understanding of copyright in a wider framework of digital and information literacy; and for the implementation of copyright policy, and the establishment of copyright advisor positions in cultural institutions. The recommendations support a revision of academic and continuing education programs learning curriculum and methods