This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Curley, S. P. Articles by Rich, E. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Curley, S. P. Articles by Rich, E. C. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Physicians' Use of Medical Knowledge Resources

Preliminary Theoretical framework and Findings

Donald P. Connelly, MD, PhD

Eugene C. Rich, MD

The recurring decision of selecting among potential knowledge resources was modeled as a cost-benefit tradeoff, with associated observable features. Internal medicine and com munity family practice physicians (n = 228) completed a self-administered questionnaire designed to elicit reported use and cost-benefit features of nine knowledge resources. The subjects reported most frequent use of clinical colleagues, intermediate use of textbooks and journals, and least use of indexing systems. Resources' benefit-related qualities (ex tensiveness and credibility) were not related to reported use. In contrast, the model's access cost variables (availability, searchability, understandability, and clinical applicability) were significantly related to use. Results were generally favorable to the model's framework of knowledge resource selection. Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that physicians' use of clinical knowledge resources could be described by the physician's level of training, availability, applicability, and the resource medium (colleague, index, or text/journal).

Key Words: Key words: choice behavior • psychological models • judgment • medical knowledge • information needs. (Med Decis Making 1990;10:231-241)

Medical Decision Making, Vol. 10, No. 4, 231-241 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/0272989X9001000401


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A S. Gosling, J. I Westbrook, and J. Braithwaite Clinical Team Functioning and IT Innovation: A Study of the Diffusion of a Point-of-care Online Evidence System JAMIA, May 1, 2003; 10(3): 244 - 251. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Houghton and E. C. Rich The Informationist Ann Intern Med, February 6, 2001; 134(3): 251 - 252. [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. T. Stone, C. H. Kivlahan, and K. R. Cox Evaluation of Physician Preferences for Guideline Implementation American Journal of Medical Quality, July 1, 1999; 14(4): 170 - 177. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Heathfield and G. Louw New challenges for clinical informatics: knowledge management tools Health Informatics Journal, June 1, 1999; 5(2): 67 - 73. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. R. Hersh and D. H. Hickam How Well Do Physicians Use Electronic Information Retrieval Systems?: A Framework for Investigation and Systematic Review JAMA, October 21, 1998; 280(15): 1347 - 1352. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. B. Elson and D. P. Connelly Computerized Patient Records in Primary Care: Their Role in Mediating Guideline-Driven Physician Behavior Change Arch Fam Med, August 1, 1995; 4(8): 698 - 705. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. N. Gorman and M. Helfand Information Seeking in Primary Care: How Physicians Choose Which Clinical Questions to Pursue and Which to Leave Unanswered Med Decis Making, June 1, 1995; 15(2): 113 - 119. [Abstract] [PDF]