In an Age of Open Access to Research Policies: Physician and Public Health NGO Staff Research Use and Policy Awareness

Abstract

IntroductionThrough funding agency and publisher policies, an increasing proportion of the health sciences literature is being made open access. Such an increase in access raises questions about the awareness and potential utilization of this literature by those working in health fields.MethodsA sample of physicians (N=336) and public health non-governmental organization (NGO) staff (N=92) were provided with relatively complete access to the research literature indexed in PubMed, as well as access to the point-of-care service UpToDate, for up to one year, with their usage monitored through the tracking of web-log data. The physicians also participated in a one-month trial of relatively complete or limited access.ResultsThe study found that participants' research interests were not satisfied by article abstracts alone nor, in the case of the physicians, by a clinical summary service such as UpToDate. On average, a third of the physicians viewed research a little more frequently than once a week, while two-thirds of the public health NGO staff viewed more than three articles a week. Those articles were published since the 2008 adoption of the NIH Public Access Policy, as well as prior to 2008 and during the maximum 12-month embargo period. A portion of the articles in each period was already open access, but complete access encouraged a viewing of more research articles.ConclusionThose working in health fields will utilize more research in the course of their work as a result of (a) increasing open access to research, (b) improving awareness of and preparation for this access, and (c) adjusting public and open access policies to maximize the extent of potential access, through reduction in embargo periods and access to pre-policy literature.

Research waste‐related editorial policies of leading dental journals: Situation 2018

“…However, considerable waste occurs after publication due to poor access, poor dissemination and poor research finding uptake (Glasziou, ). The main beneficiaries of dental and medical research include not only researchers but also clinicians, patients and policymakers who usually have limited access to full articles behind the pay wall (Kurata, Morioka, Yokoi, & Matsubayashi, ; Moorhead, Holzmeyer, Maggio, Steinberg, & Willinsky, ). Therefore, development of OA in research (Joseph, ) is important for reducing postpublication waste.…”

Qualitative study of physicians' varied uses of biomedical research in the USA

“…The initiative provided all participants with relatively complete online access to the research literature indexed in PubMed, as well as access to the research summary service UpToDate, for 1 year via an online portal, with their usage recorded in web logs 9. This unfettered access to research simulated universal open access.…”

Is Medical Education Ready for Universal Open Access to Research?

“…In one study, 336 physicians were provided free access to the literature through Stanford University libraries for a year. 4 While two-thirds of the participants did not access a research article over that year (with some attributing this to a lack of reminders or promotion of the service), one-third viewed 1 article a week, on average, for purposes that ranged from assisting with clinical care to educating fellow physicians. Some reported withdrawal symptoms when the access ended; others informed us of how, prior to this study, they had been deterred from consulting research by encountering a paywall.…”