title: In an Age of Open Access to Research Policies: Physician and Public Health NGO Staff Research Use and Policy Awareness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Through funding agency and publisher policies, an increasing proportion of the health sciences literature is being made open access. Such an increase in access raises questions about the awareness and potential utilization of this literature by those working in health fields.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of physicians (N=336) and public health non-governmental organization (NGO) staff (N=92) were provided with relatively complete access to the research literature indexed in PubMed, as well as access to the point-of-care service UpToDate, for up to one year, with their usage monitored through the tracking of web-log data. The physicians also participated in a one-month trial of relatively complete or limited access.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study found that participants' research interests were not satisfied by article abstracts alone nor, in the case of the physicians, by a clinical summary service such as UpToDate. On average, a third of the physicians viewed research a little more frequently than once a week, while two-thirds of the public health NGO staff viewed more than three articles a week. Those articles were published since the 2008 adoption of the NIH Public Access Policy, as well as prior to 2008 and during the maximum 12-month embargo period. A portion of the articles in each period was already open access, but complete access encouraged a viewing of more research articles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Those working in health fields will utilize more research in the course of their work as a result of (a) increasing open access to research, (b) improving awareness of and preparation for this access, and (c) adjusting public and open access policies to maximize the extent of potential access, through reduction in embargo periods and access to pre-policy literature.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Moorhead
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holzmeyer
authors.affiliation: Lane Medical Library, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.affiliation: Lane Medical Library, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ryan M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willinsky
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000458:organization & administration; D011634:Public Health; D011643:Publishing / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*