title: GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information) study on health professionals' search requests and continuing education needs.
abstract: Health sciences librarians are being called upon to be more proactive in their institutions' continuing education efforts. In an effort to identify whether search requests indicated CE needs, a study was conducted by a group of members of GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information). MEDLINE requests from health care professionals for subject specific clinical topics were collected during a six-month period via a standard search request form created for the study. Copies of all completed requests were collected and broad ICD-9 codes assigned to the search topics. Institutional reports were generated for each participating library to share with hospital CE coordinators. They were also compiled for the group as a whole, and reflected the "hottest" topics requested during the study period for physicians and for non-physicians (nurses, allied health, administrators). A survey to hospital librarians and CE educators showed some value in the reports, but greater potential for further collaboration between librarians and CE coordinators.
authors.affiliation: Reference Department, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon, GA 31207, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: LaBeause
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van de Water
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fielder
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sorrow
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woolbright
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D016206:Databases, Bibliographic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004194:Disease / Q000145:classification; D004496:Education, Continuing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005845:Georgia; D006801:Humans; D007992:Libraries, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data