title: Information needs of clinicians and non-clinicians in the Emergency Department: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Identifying the information needs of Emergency Department (ED) staff and sources of information that they use can help to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the ED. As Emergency Medicine has unique characteristics, information needs of the Emergency Department (ED) staff might be different from other settings. However, few studies have investigated the information needs of ED staff and the sources of information that they use.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to investigate the information needs of ED staff and the sources of information that they used in their practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was a qualitative study, in which data were collected using semi-structured interviews and 34 ED staff were interviewed in total. To analyse data, the method of framework analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Different types of information needs and sources of information were found in the ED. Patient information was considered the most important type of information, and verbal communication was the most frequently used source of information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The variety of information used in the ED shows task complexity in this department which might not be simply addressed by technology. Further research is needed to identify how computerised information systems can be improved to meet users' information needs in the ED.
authors: Department of Health Information Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. h_ayatollahi@tums.ac.ir
authors: Haleh
authors: H
authors: Ayatollahi
authors: Peter A
authors: PA
authors: Bath
authors: Steve
authors: S
authors: Goodacre
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Emergency Department; health information needs; information seeking behaviour; information sources