title: Clinicians' information sources for new substance abuse treatment.
abstract: Little is known about clinicians' information sources for new treatments or ways to improve dissemination of that information. We analyzed 163 clinicians' responses to a checklist of where and how frequently they obtain information on new treatment approaches. They reported at least yearly use of a median of four cosmopolite categories (e.g., journals or books, Internet) and a median of three local categories (e.g., co-workers, personal experience) with interpersonal contact with co-workers (89%) and seminars/conferences (86%) being the most frequently endorsed responses for at least yearly use. In response to the hypothetical scenario of receiving monthly e-mail summaries of journal articles, 59% of the clinicians rated the strategy as "very helpful". If continuing education credits were offered, more clinicians (from 50-80%) would read the relevant articles. Information dissemination may improve with expanded Internet access at programs and short e-mailed summaries carrying links to full articles coupled with the incentive of earning continuing education credits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, 2761 E. Jefferson, Substance Abuse Research Division, Wayne State University, Detroit MI 48207, United States. carfken@med.wayne.edu
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Arfken
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agius
authors.forename: Marcus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Dickson
mesh_terms: D001877:Books; D003153:Community Health Services; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods; D034742:Electronic Mail; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D020407:Internet; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*