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Influence of motivational factors on utilisation of Internet health information resources by resident doctors in Nigeria
(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2015) Ajuwon, G. A.; Popoola, S. O.
This study aims to determine the influence of motivational factors: perceived ease of use (PEU), perceived enjoyment (PEJ) and perceived usefulness (PU) on utilisation of Internet health information resources among resident doctors in tertiary health-care institutions in Nigeria. The Internet has become a major source of health information for practitioners and the general public. Despite the availability of health information resources on the Internet, some resources are underutilised. There are numerous studies on Internet use among health-care workers; however, there is a dearth of information on motivational factors influencing utilisation of Internet health information resources among resident doctors in Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was used. Total enumeration technique was adopted to cover 1,280 resident doctors in 13 tertiary health-care institutions in southwestern Nigeria. A validated, self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire has four sections covering the demographic profile of the respondents, PEU, PEJ and PU. Four hypotheses were tested at the p 0.0 1 level of significance. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression analysis. There were more males (69.0 per cent) than females (31 per cent); respondents mean age was 34 years. The result revealed that PEU(r =0.181, p 0.01), PEJ(r = 0.166, p 0.01) and PU(r = 0.121, p 0.01) have significant relationship with utilisation of Internet health information resources by the respondents. Also, PEU, PEJ and PU collectively (F = 15.366, df = 3; 897, p <0.01) have significant influence on utilisation of Internet health information resources of the respondents. Individually, PEU (B = 0.864, df = 897, t = 3.90, p < 0.01) and PEJ (B = 0.349, df =897, t =3.060, p [lt]0.01) were found to have significant influence on utilisation while PU (B =0.232, df = 897, t = 1.328, p> 0.01) does not significantly influence the utilisation of Internet health information resource of the respondents. One major implication of this study is that system designers and web content developers should design programs and websites that are compatible with the user’s abilities. Medical librarians have a role to play in providing quality health content that is easy to navigate and pleasurable to use. Both the institutions and the government have a role to play in providing information and communication technology facilities to enable doctors access relevant health information resources easily. Practical implications – Introduction of information literacy training in the residency programme or inclusion as a component of the continuing professional development will enable resident doctors to know relevant online searching tools and search techniques for accessing health information resources which will be useful to their work. This will in turn increase their PU of Internet resources. Health sciences librarians (medical librarians) in the various institutions/centres have a role to play in training resident doctors on how to access, retrieve and evaluate online health information. Librarians should also train resident doctors on how to search evidence-based Medicine resources such as the Cochrane Library and PubMed Clinical Queries and Critical Appraisal of the medical literature to make informed decision in the management of their patients and for research purposes. They should be trained on how to organise bibliographic references using reference manager tools such as Endnote, Zotero or Mendeley. Social implications – The social implication of this findings is that systems that are easy to use should be designed, so that doctors will be able to access relevant information for research and patient care for better health outcomes. The easier and enjoyable the system is to use, the more resident doctors will access and use health information resources to improve their service and save more lives. Originality/value – This study examined three motivational factors (PEU, PEJ and PU) that influence the utilisation of Internet health information resources by resident doctors in tertiary health-care institutions in Nigeria. The result revealed that collectively PEU, PEJ and PU have significant relationship with the utilisation of Internet health information resources, but PEU and PEJ are the main drivers of use of Internet health information resources among the resident doctors studied. This study adds to the literature of motivational factors influencing utilisation of Internet health information resources by resident doctors in southwestern Nigeria. This paper is original because, to the best of our knowledge, there is no other study on motivational factors influencing Internet use among resident doctors in Nigeria.
Internet Accessibility and Use of Online Health Information Resources by Doctors in Training Healthcare Institutions in Nigeria
(Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)., 2015-05-20) Ajuwon, G. A.
The Internet is a global network of networks that enables computers of all kinds to directly and transparently communicate throughout the world. It is described as a global network and an 'Information Super-highway' (Computer Hope 2010). It is defined as a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard to geographical location (The Internet Society 2010). The internet is indeed a major technological breakthrough of our time. The Internet is a popular source of health information for health care providers and consumers. It has been recognized by many as an important mechanism for transforming medical care. The internet affords healthcare practitioners unprecedented access to huge volume, high quality, current and relevant health care information. Among currently available technologies only the Internet has the potential to deliver universal access to up-to-date health care information (Godlee, Pakenham-Wash et al. 2004). Accurate and up-to-date information is vital to maintain quality of health care. During the past decade, many health information resources have been developed and available online for use by health care professionals. The Internet has been used by healthcare professionals to obtain and share large amounts of medical information and to monitor diseases. The knowledge of the Internet as an important health information resource for physicians have greatly improved during the past decade as a result of patterns of use and medical impact measures (Bennett, Casebeer et al. 2004 ). The Internet has enabled health care practitioners to obtain and share health information and to track and monitor diseases (Centre for Disease Control 2003). In addition, it has made it easy and possible for physicians throughout the world to collaborate, communicate, and interact with each other (Manhas 2008). The Internet has brought about flexible communication between patients and doctors by empowering patients with information. It has also revolutionized the compilation, assessment and distribution of information relating to healthcare (Slattery 2008). In the last two decades, there has been a tremendous increase in the volume of healthcare information published online. The amount of online health information available to users keep growing on daily basis than can ever be imagined ten years back. A great variety of information resources are now available and accessible online. These include among others search engines (Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, Lycos, Mama, etc) databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, African Index Medicus), portals, gateways, digital archives, libraries and institutional repositories. Recent, reliable, quality and up-to-date healthcare information are also available in websites of academic and health institutions, professional associations, governmental and non-governmental organizations. In addition, some governmental and not-for-profit organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Bioline International have digital archives for free full-text articles. Also available online are medical dictionaries, encyclopedias, abstracts and indexes, bibliographies, atlases, videos and drug information sources. Many of these information resources that provide accurate and reliable health care information for medical doctors are results of increase in the pace of healthcare research (Mckibbon, Fridsma et al. 2007) Information is worthless if it is not used. Availability of information is one thing, access to and use of the available information is another (Odutola 2003). According to Dervin and Nilan, “information use” is a process whereby the user tries to make sense of discontinuous reality in a series of information use behavior (Dervin and Nilan 2003). Systems that are not utilized do not result in expected efficiency and effectiveness gains (Agarwal and Prasad 1999). Availability of eresources has changed what users actually read and use; they tend to use what is easily accessible (Renwick 2005). The use of information varies among individuals, and professionals depending on their information needs and status. An important consideration in the process of health information gathering is accessibility and use of such information.