BackgroundMedical students face an information-rich environment in which retrieval and appraisal strategies are increasingly important.ObjectiveTo describe medical students’ current pattern of health information resource use and characterize their experience of instruction on information search and appraisal.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey of students registered in the four-year MD Program at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick, sites), Canada. We collected self-reported data on information-seeking behavior, instruction, and evaluation of resources in the context of their medical education. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsSurveys were returned by 213 of 462 eligible students (46.1%). Most respondents (165/204, 80.9%) recalled receiving formal instruction regarding information searches, but this seldom included nontraditional tools such as Google (23/107, 11.1%), Wikipedia, or social media. In their daily practice, however, they reported heavy use of these tools, as well as EBM summaries. Accessibility, understandability, and overall usefulness were common features of highly used resources. Students identified challenges managing information and/or resource overload and source accessibility.ConclusionsMedical students receive instruction primarily on searching and assessing primary medical literature. In their daily practice, however, they rely heavily on nontraditional tools as well as EBM summaries. Attention to appropriate use and appraisal of nontraditional sources might enhance the current EBM curriculum.
Background: Patient registries represent an important method of organizing "real world" patient information for clinical and research purposes. Registries can facilitate clinical trial planning and recruitment and are particularly useful in this regard for uncommon and rare diseases. Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are individually rare but in aggregate have a significant prevalence. In Canada, information on NMDs is lacking. Barriers to performing Canadian multicentre NMD research exist which can be overcome by a comprehensive and collaborative NMD registry. Methods: We describe the objectives, design, feasibility and initial recruitment results for the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry (CNDR). Results: The CNDR is a clinic-based registry which launched nationally in June 2011, incorporates paediatric and adult neuromuscular clinics in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and, as of December 2012, has recruited 1161 patients from 12 provinces and territories. Complete medical datasets have been captured on 460 "index disease" patients. Another 618 "non-index" patients have been recruited with capture of physicianconfirmed diagnosis and contact information. We have demonstrated the feasibility of blended clinic and central office-based recruitment. "Index disease" patients recruited at the time of writing include 253 with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, 161 with myotonic dystrophy, and 71 with ALS. Conclusions: The CNDR is a new nationwide registry of patients with NMDs that represents an important advance in Canadian neuromuscular disease research capacity. It provides an innovative platform for organizing patient information to facilitate clinical research and to expedite translation of recent laboratory findings into human studies.RÉSUMÉ: Le RCMN : collaborer pour procurer de nouveaux traitements aux Canadiens. Contexte : Un registre de patients est une façon très avantageuse d'organiser l'information concrète au sujet de patients à des fins cliniques ou de recherche. Les registres peuvent faciliter la planification d'essais cliniques et le recrutement et sont particulièrement utiles à cet égard quand il s'agit de maladies rares. Les maladies neuromusculaires (MNM) considérées individuellement sont des maladies rares mais elles ont une prévalence non négligeable si elles sont regroupées. Au Canada, on manque d'informations sur les MNM. Il existe des obstacles à la réalisation de recherches multicentriques sur les MNM au Canada. Ces obstacles peuvent être surmontés par l'établissement d'un registre détaillé à des fins de collaboration sur les MNM. Méthode : Nous décrivons les objectifs, le plan, la faisabilité et les résultats du recrutement initial du Registre canadien des maladies neuromusculaires. Résultats : Le RCMN est un registre basé sur la clinique qui a été inauguré à travers le Canada en juin 2011. Il inclut des cliniques neuromusculaires pédiatriques et adultes et inclut des patients de Colombie-Britannique, d'Alberta, de l'Ontario, du Québe...
A survey of 224 individuals using SureStart services (for young families) within an inner-London area was complemented by qualitative data from five focus groups of parents and general practitioners in the same area. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used to identify and describe discrete geographical districts with differing patterns of health information seeking. A geographically defined group of 'information hungry'/'online' health seekers was identified. This group contrasted with those acquiring information through 'assimilation' ('offline' information seekers). Qualitative data revealed the processes underpinning these characteristics and professional attitudes towards the Internet as a source of health information.
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