Clinical information behavior of rehabilitation therapists: a review of the research on occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists

Kloda, Lorie Andrea and Bartlett, Joan C. Clinical information behavior of rehabilitation therapists: a review of the research on occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 2009, vol. 97, n. 3, pp. 197-202. [Journal article (Paginated)]

[thumbnail of Kloda_Bartlett_2009.pdf]
Preview
 PDF
Kloda_Bartlett_2009.pdf
Download (216kB) | Preview

English abstract

Objectives: The review sought to synthesize existing research relevant to rehabilitation therapists' clinical information behavior and to identify gaps in evidence, particularly in comparison to what is already known about the information behavior of other health professionals, such as physicians. Methods: A literature review was conducted of both quantitative and qualitative research studies that included information on the clinical information behavior of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. Findings were organized according to a taxonomy of variables derived from the literature. Results: Findings from seventeen studies, mostly surveys, conducted since 1990 demonstrate that very little is known about the clinical information needs of and information use by rehabilitation therapists. The sources most often consulted by rehabilitation therapists are printed materials (books and journals) and colleagues. Databases are consulted less often, and few rehabilitation therapists are aware of databases other than MEDLINE. Discussion: Methodological flaws limit the generalizability and validity of much of the research conducted on the clinical information behavior of this population. More research is needed to better understand the clinical questions that arise in rehabilitation therapists' practice, reasons for consulting certain sources, and ways in which information seeking enhances evidence-based practice.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: information behaviour, clinical information, rehabilitation therapists, evidence-based practice, EBP, physiotherapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, health professionals, information needs, clinical questions
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BA. Use and impact of information.
H. Information sources, supports, channels. > HZ. None of these, but in this section.
B. Information use and sociology of information > BH. Information needs and information requirements analysis.
Depositing user: Lorie A. Kloda
Date deposited: 25 Jul 2009
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:14
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/13361

References

1.

Case D.O. Looking for information: a survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Academic Press; 2007.

2.

Reneker M.H. A qualitative study of information seeking among members of an academic community: methodological issues and problems. Libr Q. 1993 Oct;63(4):487.

3.

Marshall J.G. Issues in clinical information delivery. Libr Trends. 1993;42(1):83–107.

4.

McKnight M, Peet M. Health care providers' information seeking: recent research. Med Ref Serv Q. 2000;19(2):27–50. [PubMed]

5.

Coumou H.C.H, Meijman F.J. How do primary care physicians seek answers to clinical questions? a literature review. J Med Libr Assoc. 2006 Jan;94(1):55–60. [PubMed]

6.

Dawes M, Sampson U. Knowledge management in clinical practice: a systematic review of information seeking behavior in physicians. Int J Med Inf. 2003;71(1):9–15.

7.

Davies K. The information-seeking behaviour of doctors: a review of the evidence. Health Info Libr J. 2007;24(2):78–94. [PubMed]

8.

Gorman P.N. Information needs of physicians. J Am Soc Inf Sci. 1995;46(10):729–36.

9.

Haug J.D. Physicians' preferences for information sources: a meta-analytic study. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1997 Jul;85(3):223–32. [PubMed]

10.

Bury T.J, Mead J.M. Evidence based healthcare: a practical guide for therapists. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1998.

11.

Plastow N.A. Implementing evidence-based practice: a model for change. Int J Ther Rehabil. 2006;13(10):464–9.

12.

Reilly S, Douglas J, Oates J. Evidence-based practice in speech pathology. Philadelphia, PA: Whurr; 2004.

13.

Taylor M.C. Evidence-based practice for occupational therapists. Malden, MA: Blackwell Science; 2000.

14.

American Physical Therapy Association. Minimum required skills of physical therapist graduates at entry-level BOD P11-05-20-49 [Internet]. The Association; 2005. [cited 5 Feb 2009]. < http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfmSectionPolicies_and_BylawsCONTENTID27994TEMPLATE/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm>.

15.

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, Association of Occupational Therapy University Programs, Association of Canadian Occupational Therapy Regulatory Organizations, Presidents' Advisory Committee. Joint position statement on evidence-based occupational therapy [Internet]. The Association; 2008. [cited 5 Feb 2009]. < http://www.caot.ca/default.asppageid156>.

16.

Robey R, Apel K, Dallaghan C, Ellmo W, Hall N, Helfer T, Moeller M.P, Threats T, Hooper C, Kent R, Brown J, Lonsbury-Martin B. Report of the Joint Coordinating Committee on evidence-based practice [Internet]. 10 Dec 2004 [cited 5 Feb 2009]. < http://www.asha.org/NR/rdonlyres/768FCA42-0BD4-4AB2-BDC8-4377BA1D9409/0/c_hooper_10_13_04.pdf>.

17.

Dysart A.M, Tomlin G.S. Factors related to evidence-based practice among US occupational therapy clinicians. Am J Occup Ther. 2002 May;56(3):275–84. [PubMed]

18.

Jette D.U, Bacon K, Batty C, Carlson M, Ferland A, Hemingway R.D, Hill J.C, Ogilvie L, Volk D. Evidence-based practice: beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of physical therapists. Phys Ther. 2003 Sep;83(9):786–805. [PubMed]

19.

Sweetland J, Craik C. The use of evidence-based practice by occupational therapists who treat adult stroke patients. Br J Occup Ther. 2001 May 1;64:256–60.

20.

Turner P, Whitfield T.W.A. Physiotherapists' use of evidence based practice: a cross-national study. Physiother Res Int. 1997;2(1):17–29. [PubMed]

21.

Humphris D, Littlejohns P, Victor C, O'Halloran P, Peacock J. Implementing evidence-based practice: factors that influence the use of research evidence by occupational therapists. Br J Occup Ther. 2000 Nov;63(11):516–22.

22.

Pollock A.S, Legg L, Langhorne P, Sellars C. Barriers to achieving evidence-based stroke rehabilitation. Clin Rehabil. 2000;14:611–7. [PubMed]

23.

Bennett S, Tooth L, McKenna K, Rodger S, Strong J, Ziviani J, Mickan S, Gibson L. Perceptions of evidence-based practice: a survey of Australian occupational therapists. Aust Occup Ther J. 2003 Mar;50(1):13–22.

24.

Sherrington C, Herbert R.D, Maher C.G, Moseley A.M. PEDro. a database of randomized trials and systematic reviews in physiotherapy. Man Ther. 2000 Nov;5(4):223–6. [PubMed]

25.

McKenna K, Bennett S, Hoffmann T, McCluskey A, Strong J, Tooth L. OTseeker: facilitating evidence-based practice in occupational therapy. Aust Occup Ther J. 2004 Jun;51:102–5.

26.

Scalzitti D. Happy birthday to Hooked on Evidence. PT—Magazine Phys Ther. 2003 Sep;11(9):56–8.

27.

Bennett S, McKenna K, Tooth L, Hoffmann T, McCluskey A, Strong J. Searches and content of the OTseeker database: informing research priorities. Am J Occup Ther. 2006 Sep;60(5):524–30. [PubMed]

28.

Wilson T.D. Information behaviour: an interdisciplinary perspective. Inf Process Manag. 1997 Jul;33(4):551–72.

29.

Savolainen R. Information behavior and information practice: reviewing the “umbrella concepts” of information-seeking studies. Libr Q. 2007;77(2):109–32.

30.

Covell D.G, Uman G.C, Manning P.R. Information needs in office practice: are they being met? Ann Intern Med. 1985;103(4):596–9. [PubMed]

31.

Huang X, Lin J, Demner-Fushman D. Evaluation of PICO as a knowledge representation for clinical questions. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2006:359–63. [PubMed]

32.

Osheroff J.A, Forsythe D.E, Buchanan B.G, Bankowitz R.A, Blumenfeld B.H, Miller R.A. Physicians' information needs: analysis of questions posed during clinical teaching. Ann Intern Med. 1991 Apr 1;114(7):576–81. [PubMed]

33.

Spenceley S.M, O'Leary K.A, Chizawsky L.L.K, Ross A.J, Estabrooks C.A. Sources of information used by nurses to inform practice: an integrative review. Int J Nurs Stud. 2008 Sep;45(6):954–70. [PubMed]

34.

Ely J.W, Osheroff J.A, Ebell M.H, Chambliss M.L, Vinson D.C, Stevermer J.J, Pifer E.A. Obstacles to answering doctors' questions about patient care with evidence: qualitative study. BMJ. 2002 Mar 23;324(7339):710. [PubMed]

35.

Pluye P, Grad R.M. How information retrieval technology may impact on physician practice: an organizational case study in family medicine. J Eval Clin Pract. 2004;10(3):413–30. [PubMed]

36.

Grad R.M, Pluye P, Mercer J, Marlow B, Beauchamp M.E, Shulha M, Johnson-Lafleur J, Wood-Dauphinee S. Impact of research-based synopses delivered as daily e-mail: a prospective observational study. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2008 Mar–Apr;15(2):240–5. [PubMed]

37.

Marshall J.G. The impact of the hospital library on clinical decision making: the Rochester study. J Med Libr Assoc. 1992 Apr;80(2):169–78.

38.

O'Connor P. Determining the impact of health library services on patient care: a review of the literature. Health Info Libr J. 2002;19(1):1–13. [PubMed]

39.

Rappolt S, Tassone M. How rehabilitation therapists gather, evaluate, and implement new knowledge. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2002;22(3):170. [PubMed]

40.

Haigh V. Clinical effectiveness and allied health professionals: an information needs assessment. Health Inf Libr J. 2006;23(1):41–50.

41.

Palfreyman S, Tod A, Doyle J. Professional issues. comparing evidence-based practice of nurses and physiotherapists. Br J Nurs. 2003 Feb 27;12(4):246–53. [PubMed]

42.

Guo R, Bain B.A, Willer J. Results of an assessment of information needs among speech-language pathologists and audiologists in Idaho. J Med Libr Assoc. 2008 Apr;96(2):138–44. [PubMed]

43.

Bennett S, McKenna K, Hoffmann T, Tooth L, McCluskey A, Strong J. The value of an evidence database for occupational therapists: an international online survey. Int J Med Inf. 2007 Jul;76(7):507–13.

44.

Bohannon R.W. Information accessing behaviour of physical therapists. Physiother Theory Pract. 1990;6:215–25.

45.

Judd M.G.P. 2004. Examining the use of evidence-based practice resources among physiotherapists in Canada [thesis]. Ottawa, ON, Canada: University of Ottawa;

46.

McCluskey A, Lovarini M, Bennett S, McKenna K, Tooth L, Hoffmann T. How and why do occupational therapists use the OTseeker evidence database? Aust Occup Ther J. 2006;53(3):188–95.

47.

McKenna K, Bennett S, Dierselhuis Z, Hoffmann T, Tooth L, McCluskey A. Australian occupational therapists' use of an online evidence-based practice database (OTseeker). Health Info Libr J. 2005;22:205–14. [PubMed]

48.

Vallino-Napoli L.D, Reilly S. Evidence-based health care: a survey of speech pathology practice. Adv Speech-Lang Pathol. 2004;6(2):107–12.

49.

Ashcroft M. The impact of information use on decision making by physiotherapists. Libr Manag. 1998;19(3):174–95.

50.

Brown S.R, Roush J.R, Lamkin A.R, Perrakis R, Kronenfeld M.R. Evaluating the professional libraries of practicing physical therapists. J Med Libr Assoc. 2007 Jan;95(1):64–9. [PubMed]

51.

Hall E.F. Physical therapists in private practice: information sources and information needs. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1995 Apr;83(2):196–201. [PubMed]

52.

Hoffman C. The changing information needs of physical therapists. J Hosp Libr. 2005;5(1):1–11.

53.

Nail-Chiwetalu B, Bernstein Ratner N. An assessment of the information-seeking abilities and needs of practicing speech-language pathologists. J Med Libr Assoc. 2007 Apr;95(2):182–8. E56–7. [PubMed]


Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item
Contact us
Send email Sponsors
Sponsor: AIMS Sponsor: D&P Sponsor: UniNa CAB Get connected
Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Linkedin LinkedIn RSS RSS