Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

04-Feb-2015

Arch Hellen Med, 32(1), January-February 2015, 66-76

ORIGINAL PAPER

The information seeking behavior and information needs of doctors working in a Greek military hospital

E. Persakis,^1,2 P. Kostagiolas,³ G. Alexias,⁴ D. Niakas¹
¹School of Social Science, Hellenic Open University, Patras,
²251 Air Force General Hospital, Athens,
³School of Information Science, Department of Archives, Library Science and Museum Studies, Ionian University, Corfu,
⁴Department of Psychology, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece

OBJECTIVE To study the information seeking behavior and information needs of military doctors.

METHOD The sample consisted of 101 military doctors working in a Greek military hospital in Attica. Data were collected using a weighted and structured questionnaire based on Wilson's macro model for information seeking behavior.

RESULTS The most important needs of the military doctors of the sample were for information on diagnosis, treatment, research, updating of knowledge and instruction-educational issues. Scientific databases and scholarly journals were the most important information resources, and the major obstacles encountered by the doctors were paucity of time and lack of access to electronic scientific databases from the workplace. Correlation was demonstrated between specific medical specialties and both information needs (concerning research, teaching-educational work, care of combat wounds, practice of medicine in a hostile environment) and information resources (use of colleagues, military medicine pages).

CONCLUSIONS Demographic and professional factors were found to be associated with the information needs of military doctors, the resources they use and the barriers to information. The information seeking behavior and needs should be addressed as an integral part of the development of information systems and information services for military doctors.

Key words: Greece, Information behavior, Information needs, Information obstacles, Information sources, Military doctors, Survey.