title: Australian GP registrars' use of e-resources.
abstract: Traditional face-to-face learning opportunities for Australian GP registrars are complemented by the use of e-resources. The current study aimed to investigate GP trainees' use of e-resources and their preferences for sourcing clinical information to inform the prospective direction and design of e-resources for the GP education and training sector. One-hundred and nineteen registrars completed a custom online survey measuring the type and frequency of use of e-resources, and preferences for their design and content. Results indicated that for the majority of registrars e-resources were the first preference for obtaining clinical information (77.3%). The most frequently used e-resources included non-medical search engines, medical journals and prescribing software. Factors relevant to registrars' selection and use of e-resources included the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the information. It is concluded that the use of e-resources provides a valuable supplement to registrars' learning and teaching. However, issues of quality and consistency raise some concerns regarding the use of e-resources for obtaining clinical information.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychologist, RMIT University, PO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001 Australia. bianca.denny@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Denny
authors.affiliation: Deputy PVC, Learning and Teaching, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chester
authors.affiliation: Southern GP Training, Warrnambool, Australia.
authors.forename: Mexie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Southern GP Training, Churchill, Australia.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D058006:General Practice; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D020407:Internet; D007858:Learning; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires