Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate medical and dental students' utilization of electronic information resources.MethodsA web survey sent to 837 students (49.9% responded).ResultsTwenty-four per cent of medical students and ninteen per cent of dental students searched MEDLINE 2+ times/month for study purposes, and thiry-two per cent and twenty-four per cent respectively for research. Full-text articles were used 2+ times/month by thirty-three per cent of medical and ten per cent of dental students. Twelve per cent of respondents never utilized either MEDLINE or full-text articles. In multivariate models, the information-searching skills among students were significantly associated with use of MEDLINE and full-text articles.ConclusionUse of electronic resources differs among students. Forty percent were non-users of full-text articles. Information-searching skills are correlated with the use of electronic resources, but the level of basic PC skills plays not a major role in using these resources. The student data shows that adequate training in information-searching skills will increase the use of electronic information resources.
Highlights
To evaluate medical and dental students' utilization of electronic information resources
We studied the association of medical students' use of electronic information resources with 'Basic PC Skills' and 'Search Skills'
The high percentage among the first-year students was a likely result of the course in informatics, which required the use of MEDLINE
Summary
To evaluate medical and dental students' utilization of electronic information resources. Over the last several decades studies have shown that the use of computerized information systems by medical professionals can improve the quality of care, enhance the use of evidence-based treatments, and maintain and update knowledge [1,2]. In recent studies of doctors' use of online evidence, it has been reported that over 80% of practitioners studied believed that the use of electronic information resources has the potential to improve patient care [5,6]. With regard to medical informatics education, both information processing and information technology have been considered relevant for the quality of healthcare [3]. It is believed that medical students need training to learn how (page number not for citation purposes)
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