Purpose of Utilization of Health Information Resources by Medical Doctors in Nigeria Hosptals

Abstract

The paper examined the purpose for which medical doctors utilize health information resources. The study adopted quantitative research methodology and used survey research design to achieve the stated objectives. The population for the study comprises 182 medical doctors. A total of 116 doctors was selected using a multistage sampling technique, a combination of stratified, simple, random, and purposive sampling techniques. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire, while the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics using frequency counts, percentages, and mean. The findings from the study revealed that the majority of the respondents utilized textbooks more than the other sources of health information. Majority of the medical doctors reported that they used these information sources for diagnosis—disease conditions, to mention but a few.The study concluded that because of the busy nature of the respondents 'jobs, a number of strategies that would assist in increasing the use of the preferred health information sources, depending on their individual choice, such as setting up mobile libraries, would not be a bad idea. Mobile apps that contain the types of information available would also help bring this health information straight to the palms of doctors. The researchers therefore recommended, among others, the need to set up libraries and provide adequate information resources to these libraries in order to provide the needed information to the medical doctors; further in service training of medical doctors; and the provision of hospital libraries with ICT facilities and current information sources for better services.