Knowledge seeking behaviours of pre interns and early career doctors in Sri Lanka: a cross sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundUse of reference sources for medical knowledge has changed dramatically over the last two decades with the introduction of online sources of information. This study analyses the medical knowledge seeking behaviours of pre interns and early career doctors in Sri Lanka.MethodsThis cross sectional survey with a convenience sample was conducted at two sites targeting two groups; pre-intern doctors graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo and early career doctors following a postgraduate course at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. The data collection tool was an online self-administered questionnaire (paper based questionnaires used on request) that probed the patterns of using reference sources for medical knowledge.Results and discussionThe respondents comprised of 52 pre-interns and 34 early career doctors. A majority (98 %) had internet access. Early career doctors preferred online resources significantly more than the pre-interns. However, the utilization of online resources for evidence synthesis and planning research was unsatisfactory in both groups. A significant proportion (35 %) responded that they had never read a systematic review. Only one person in the entire sample had co-authored a review article.ConclusionThe use of online resources by participants seems to be satisfactory with a majority shifting to reliable online resources as a reference point for medical knowledge. However, a closer look at the usage patterns reveal that online resources that can be used for more innovative tasks such as evidence synthesis are grossly under-utilized.

Utilization and uptake of the UpToDate clinical decision support tool at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS), Uganda

“…UpToDate has been shown to answer clinical questions effectively, with one study citing an 86% answer retrieval rate for UpToDate 10 . In medical education, UpToDate is reported to be a highly effective resource for learning 11 and is preferred by early career doctors 12 .…”

Race-based medicine in the point-of-care clinical resource UpToDate: A systematic content analysis

“… 15 Use of UpToDate®, a clinical decision-making support tool with over 11,800 clinical topics peer-refereed by more than 7,300 authors and editors, has been shown to improve clinical outcomes, 16 , 17 increase provider efficiency, 15 , 18 and enhance medical education. 19 More than 2 million clinicians and other healthcare professionals in 190 countries rely on UpToDate® for routine clinical reference; In the United States, two-thirds of hospitals and health systems and 90% of teaching hospitals routinely use UpToDate®. 20 Given the near ubiquitous use of this medical resource among trainees and senior clinicians, we must have a clear understanding of how race is used in reference articles in order to ensure we do not exacerbate racial health inequities.…”

Young Kidney Professionals’ Perspectives and Attitudes about Consuming Scientific Information

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