A research project by Leah Boulos (MLIS '16)

1. Measuring the Impact of
Mandatory Research Requirements on
Medical Student Information Seeking Behaviour
In today’s clinical
environment,
professionals are busy
and research training is
infrequent.
Specific factors affecting medical resource use:
Lack of time
Lack of knowledge and/or training
Reliability and/or quality of information
Accessibility of information
How has the clinical information seeking
behaviour of third-year RIM students
been impacted by the program? Which
resources do students turn to first when
making clinical decisions? Does this choice
differ by task?
How does the training of non-RIM health
sciences students and professionals
compare to RIM students? Does the
difference in training result in a difference
in clinical information seeking?
How confident are the interviewees in
their research skills, regardless of being
enrolled in RIM? Have the interviewees
received training in the resources they use
most often?
Research Questions
1.
2.
3.
Methodology
The researcher conducted a series of semi-
structured, qualitative interviews. Interviewees
were divided into two groups:
Group 1
RIM students in their
third year of medical
school (Med 3), when
clerkship begins.
Group 2
Non-RIM medical
students and
professionals working
in a clinical setting.
“I think we [medical students] all
just got in the same mindset that we
could study about critical appraisal,
or we could study guidelines for pap
screening. ... And now I’m realizing
[research] is exceedingly relevant,
and I don’t need to know about
pap screening, but ...
I need to know how to do research.”
– Group 2 Interviewee (Resident)
Pocket reference resources like UpToDate,
Google, and other apps are most commonly
associated with making quick clinical decisions
Training for these resources was at a low level
or non-existent
Responses indicating high confidence often
appear alongside mentions of the importance of
familiarity or experience (not training)
The most significant difference in responses lies
not between RIM and non-RIM students, but
between residents and non-residents
Residents place a much higher emphasis on the
importance of research and research training
Previous research training among non-RIM
interviewees is almost always negative
Interview Results
Future Research
Due to the noticeable difference in
responses between residents and non-
residents, it will be important to study the
information seeking skills of RIM students
once they have reached residency.
Introduction
Dalhousie University implemented its new Research in Medicine (RIM)
program in 2013. The first program of is kind in Canada, RIM requires all
Dalhousie medical students to complete an in-depth research project before
graduation. This project seeks to compare the information seeking habits of
RIM students vs. non-RIM students.
Discussion & Recommendations
Increase training in pocket reference
resources
Pocket reference resources like UpToDate are the
most commonly used medical resources in clinical
settings, but training on how to effectively use
these resources is rarely included in the medical
school curriculum.
Emphasize the importance of research
prior to residency
Medical students are often most concerned with
learning “hard medicine” skills. This is even true
of RIM students, who might not appreciate the
importance of research training. Looking back,
however, many residents say they wished they
had better understood the importance of learning
research skills.
Facilitate opportunities for hands-on
research experience and mentorship
High confidence is commonly associated with
increased familiarity and experience. If students
have the opportunity to use research skills in
clinical settings, they are likely to feel more
confident in those skills. Mentorship can be
another effective way to increase research
confidence and resource familiarity.
References
Duran-Nelson, A., Gladding, S., Beattie, J., & Nixon, L. J. (2013). Should we Google it? Resource use by internal medi-
cine residents for point-of-care clinical decision making. Academic Medicine : Journal of the Association of American
Medical Colleges, 88(6), 788-794. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e31828ffdb7
Hider, P. N., Griffin, G., Walker, M., & Coughlan, E. (2009). The information-seeking behavior of clinical staff in a large
health care organization. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 97(1), 47-50. doi:10.3163/1536-5050.97.1.009
Kosteniuk, J. G., Morgan, D. G., & D’arcy, C. K. (2013). Use and perceptions of information among family physicians:
Sources considered accessible, relevant, and reliable. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 101(1), 32-37.
doi:10.3163/1536-5050.101.1.006
O’Carroll, A. M., Westby, E. P., Dooley, J., & Gordon, K. E. (2015). Information-seeking behaviors of medical students: A
cross-sectional web-based survey. JMIR Medical Education, 1(1), e4. doi:10.2196/mededu.4267
Image: http://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20130730&t=2&i=755633586&w=644&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl
=&sq=&r=CDEE96T1EFP00
Image: http://wolterskluwer.com/binaries/content/gallery/wk/content/newsroom/resources/wolters-kluwer-upto-
date_large.png
Leah Boulos
School of Information Management
1. UpToDate
Top 3 Resources:
2. Colleagues
3. Google