Abstract
Objective: The primary aim of this study was to explore the use of clinical knowledge sources among junior doctors in relation to their learning styles. The secondary aim was to describe how junior doctors value different qualities of knowledge sources in clinical situations. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 63 junior doctors in a Swedish hospital. A questionnaire was used to collect information about the use of knowledge sources, to identify learning styles according to Kolb and to record the value of qualities of knowledge sources in clinical situations. The 1-Sample Sign Test and the Mann-Whitney test were used to analyse the non-parametric data. Results: The most frequently used knowledge sources were personal contacts with colleagues (n=14, p=0.0002) followed by internet-based guidelines (n=14, p=0.0034) and printed reference literature (n=14, p=0.0225). Learning styles aggregated into two main clusters, converging (54%) and assimilating (30%). Access was the most valued quality of knowledge sources. Conclusions: Although personal contacts were most frequently used, internet-based sources reached almost the same level. Learning styles among junior doctors were in accordance with the findings in previous studies. Convergers seemed to use computer-based knowledge sources less than the assimilators. This needs further investigation. Access should be addressed in the design of knowledge tools since this was overall the most valued quality in clinical situations.
Highlights
The purpose of a knowledge source is to present knowledge that can be meaningful data or personalised understanding, i.e. “know-how”, such as tacit knowledge.[1,2,3] A distinction should be made between data, information and knowledge with a sequential order.[4,5,6] These concepts can be defined in the terms of each other.[5]
Learning style refers to an individual set of differences that include both a personal preference for instruction and an association with a particular form of learning activity, as well as individual, intellectual or personal differences.[14]. The importance of learning styles has been validated in previous studies.[15,16,17] It has been shown that taking learning styles into account can improve educational results.[15, 18, 19] Seeking answers to clinical questions can be seen as a form of self-directed learning.[20]. This could mean that taking learning styles into consideration when constructing knowledge sources could enhance their perceived usability
The junior doctors mainly used personal contacts with colleagues (n=14, p=0.0002) but they marked the use of treatment guidelines on the internet almost as high (n=14, p=0.0034) In third place was the use of paper-based reference literature (n=14, p=0.0225)
Summary
The purpose of a knowledge source is to present knowledge that can be meaningful data or personalised understanding, i.e. “know-how”, such as tacit knowledge.[1,2,3] A distinction should be made between data, information and knowledge with a sequential order.[4,5,6] These concepts can be defined in the terms of each other.[5]. Learning styles describe the individual’s gradual adoption of knowledge in learning situations.[21] Previous studies indicate that an individual’s learning style could have implications for that person’s knowledge-seeking behaviour and preference for knowledge sources. This could have implications for the individual’s knowledge-seeking behaviour and the types of knowledge sources they prefer. There is currently limited understanding of how learning styles and the use of clinical knowledge sources affect each other.[19, 22, 23]
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