USE OF INFORMATION-SOURCES BY FAMILY PHYSICIANS - A LITERATURE SURVEY

Analysis of the use of information sources by family physicians is imp ortant for both practical and theoretical reasons. First, analysis of the ways in which family physicians handle information may point to op portunities for improvement. Second, such efforts may lead to improvem ents in the methodology of literature research in general. This articl e reports on a survey of the literature on information use by family p hysicians. Eleven relevant research publications could be found. The d ata showed that family physicians used colleagues most often as inform ation sources, followed by journals and books. This outcome correspond ed with results in other professions. Several factors influenced the u se of information sources by family physicians, including the physical , functional, and intellectual accessibility of the source; the physic ian's age; participation by the physician in research or education; th e social context of the physician; practice characteristics; and the s tage of the information-gathering process. The publications studied su ggested ways to improve information gathering in the areas of computer ization, education, library organization, and journal articles.