Abstract
Studies in different countries indicate that students and health professionals have difficulties in seeking scientific information for academic and clinical use. This article aims to present the main intellectual stages of information search for clinical and academic purposes, as well as the possibilities and challenges that arise in each of the stages. We used a descriptive qualitative design based on a selective literature review, presentation of practical examples and some solutions to doubts related to health information seeking. The following stages of information search were presented: defining what the researcher wants to know; transforming the PICO research question into a database search strategy; defining where to search for the information; sources used in the health field for clinical and/or academic purposes. The process of information search demands specific intellectual decisions for each clinical or research situation. Therefore, just following information search manuals may not be enough to achieve a satisfactory result. It is necessary to bring to the level of consciousness the objectives of the search, the choice of sources, and the selection of the best information to answer the initial research question.
Highlights
Throughout the text, we present practical examples and some solutions to doubts related to health information seeking
To make the information search process more efficient, the first step the researcher must follow is to define clearly what they want to know, the main question to be clarified, or what information needs to be retrieved. At this stage of the process, especially in the field of health, it is recommended to systematize the process through the creation of a research question using the PICO strategy (Brown, 2020)
PICO is the acronym formed from the main aspects that represent the clinical context or the problem situation: P means population, which can be defined by the patient or condition
Summary
Society has been experiencing periods of development and progress since the dawn of humanity. Information is the basis for the production of new knowledge, driving progress in all areas of human activity. In the Biomedical Sciences, this has been occurring notably in recent decades, as we witness an increase in the number of scientific journals to meet the exponential growth of scientific productions, which are likely to advance even more, as the pay-to-read logic gives way to the pay-to-publish system of open access journals (Hotta, 2020). In the context of health care, communications resulting from scientific research represent an important source of information to guide decision-making both in clinical practice and in health management (public and private).
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