CD-ROM MEDLINE use and users: information transfer in the clinical setting.
Effective delivery of biomedical information to health professionals depends on the availability of systems that are compatible with the information-seeking patterns of health professionals. MEDLINE is a major source of biomedical information, but has been available primarily through libraries via telecommunications networks. The recent availability of MEDLINE on CD-ROM has made it possible to provide MEDLINE directly to clinicians without the associated problems of telecommunications and online use charges. The MEDLINE on CD-ROM Evaluation Forum sponsored by the National Library of Medicine reported on clinicians' use of CD-ROM MEDLINE at seven different clinical settings. This article summarizes the findings from these sites and places them in the context of current understanding of information-seeking behaviors of health professionals. Key issues in the design and development of information technologies in the clinical setting are also articulated.
Dalrymple
P W
PW
Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
D000555:Ambulatory Care Information Systems; D006751:Hospital Information Systems; D008523:MEDLARS / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D014741:Video Recording; D014742:Videodisc Recording