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Information Needs (information + need)
Selected AbstractsHealth Professionals' Reports about Information Needs of Families who have a Child with a Genetic ConditionNURSING & HEALTH SCIENCES, Issue 3 2007John G. Twomey [source] Information needs and prostate cancer: the development of a systematic means of identificationBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2004Jeremy Dale OBJECTIVE To design, from first principles, a valid and reliable scale for assessing the importance of specific items of information needed by patients with prostate cancer that would be straightforward to use in clinical settings, as despite its prevalence, there is little research focusing specifically on the information needs associated with prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Several stages of consultation and modification were used to inform the development of a scale which was then piloted on 96 patients with prostate cancer. Respondents were asked to rate the importance they placed on a range of prostate cancer-related topics of information, and the extent to which they felt these information needs had been met. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established and an exploratory factor analysis used to guide restructuring of the tool. Internal consistency/reliability was calculated using Cronbach's ,. RESULTS Using the scale showed that men with prostate cancer placed considerable importance on a broad range of information needs, most of which had been inadequately met. Age had a significant influence on the overall importance attributed to information, with younger patients having more need for information. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established. The factor analysis revealed four discrete factors which together explained >,68% of the variance, termed ,basics of prostate cancer care', ,disease management', ,physical well-being' and ,self-help'. Internal consistency/reliability was satisfactory (, = 0.91). CONCLUSIONS The basis of a tool capable of ascertaining the information needs of patients with prostate cancer was developed; it may offer clinicians a valid means of ascertaining information preferences and hence potentially enhance the quality of service provided. Further research is now required to refine the tool and test the effect of its longitudinal use in clinical practice on patient satisfaction and outcome. [source] Consumers' awareness and information need about food hygiene in Korea: focused on pesticide residues and food borne illnessINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 3 2003Meera Kim This study investigated consumers' awareness and information need about food hygiene especially focused on pesticide residues and food borne illness in Korea. The data were collected from 350 adults living in Daegu and Busan, Korea by a self-administered questionnaire. Frequency and chi-square tests were conducted by SPSS. The results of the survey were as follows: Firstly the consumers' concerns about food hygiene were high. About three-fourths of the respondents answered that they were ,somewhat' or ,highly' concerned about pesticide residues and food borne illness. Especially women and the older showed more concerns than men and the younger. Secondly, the respondents worried about eating vegetables, fruits and grains in turn because of pesticide residues, and did not trust the results from food hygiene tests by the Government. Thirdly, three-fourths of the respondents used the way to wash food stuffs with water several times to clean pesticide residues. Fourth, about four-fifths of the subjects worried about food borne illness caused by fish to the extreme and about two-thirds answered that un-fresh or contaminated food stuffs were the major factor of food borne illness in cooking. Finally, the respondents primarily wanted to get the information about harmfulness of pesticide residues in foods, and methods to choose fresh food regarding food borne illness. Under the situation of the lack of educational programs for food hygiene in Korea, the educational contents for food hygiene to improve public health can be developed on the basis of this study. [source] The feasibility of developing a standards rating system for all Australian government aged care homesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OLDER PEOPLE NURSING, Issue 2 2008FRCNA, Susan Koch BA (Ed Studies) Aims and objectives., The main objective of this project was to investigate the likelihood of creating an easily understood rating system for all aged care homes. A secondary objective was to canvas the feasibility of alternative systems that could better inform aged care consumers. Background., Standards rating systems are used internationally to enable comparisons in healthcare. In Australia, the performance of numerous services and products are measured according to the star system of ratings, yet despite their widespread use, star ratings remain absent from the healthcare industry. Methods., A National Consultative Group (NCG) consisting of key stakeholder representatives was consulted, and a literature review performed on existing standards (or ,star') rating systems. Telephone interviews were conducted with representatives from aged care homes, as well as consumers. Results., A standards rating system for aged care homes was not found to be feasible in the current climate. However, an alternative system that emphasises empowering aged care consumers, such as one that allows consumers to search for an aged care home using their own criteria of preference, was considered more feasible. Conclusion., The need for information to assist consumer choice , limited as it may be , is real. Ways of providing more consumer friendly, useful information need to be further explored and developed. Recommendations are made for future work in this area. [source] Task-based information retrieval: Structuring undergraduate history essays for better course evaluation using essay-type visualizationsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 9 2007John E. Leide When domain novices are in C.C. Kuhlthau's (1993) Stage 3, the exploration stage of researching an assignment, they often do not know their information need; this causes them to go back to Stage 2, the topic-selection stage, when they are selecting keywords to formulate their query to an Information Retrieval (IR) system. Our hypothesis is that instead of going backward, they should be going forward toward a goal state,the performance of the task for which they are seeking the information. If they can somehow construct their goal state into a query, this forward-looking query better operationalizes their information need than does a topic-based query. For domain novice undergraduates seeking information for a course essay, we define their task as selecting a high-impact essay structure which will put the students' learning on display for the course instructor who will evaluate the essay. We report a study of first-year history undergraduate students which tested the use and effectiveness of "essay type" as a task-focused query-formulation device. We randomly assigned 78 history undergraduates to an intervention group and a control group. The dependent variable was essay quality, based on (a) an evaluation of the student's essay by a research team member, and (b) the marks given to the student's essay by the course instructor. We found that conscious or formal consideration of essay type is inconclusive as a basis of a task-focused query-formulation device for IR. [source] A comprehensive and systematic model of user evaluation of Web search engines: II.JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 13 2003An evaluation by undergraduates This paper presents an application of the model described in Part I to the evaluation of Web search engines by undergraduates. The study observed how 36 undergraduate used four major search engines to find information for their own individual problems and how they evaluated these engines based on actual interaction with the search engines. User evaluation was based on 16 performance measures representing five evaluation criteria: relevance, efficiency, utility, user satisfaction, and connectivity. Non-performance (user-related) measures were also applied. Each participant searched his/her own topic on all four engines and provided satisfaction ratings for system features and interaction and reasons for satisfaction. Each also made relevance judgements of retrieved items in relation to his/her own information need and participated in post-search interviews to provide reactions to the search results and overall performance. The study found significant differences in precision PR1, relative recall, user satisfaction with output display, time saving, value of search results, and overall performance among the four engines and also significant engine by discipline interactions on all these measures. In addition, the study found significant differences in user satisfaction with response time among four engines, and significant engine by discipline interaction in user satisfaction with search interface. None of the four search engines dominated in every aspect of the multidimensional evaluation. Content analysis of verbal data identified a number of user criteria and users evaluative comments based on these criteria. Results from both quantitative analysis and content analysis provide insight for system design and development, and useful feedback on strengths and weaknesses of search engines for system improvement. [source] User perspectives on relevance criteria: A comparison among relevant, partially relevant, and not-relevant judgmentsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2002Kelly L. Maglaughlin This study investigates the use of criteria to assess relevant, partially relevant, and not-relevant documents. Study participants identified passages within 20 document representations that they used to make relevance judgments; judged each document representation as a whole to be relevant, partially relevant, or not relevant to their information need; and explained their decisions in an interview. Analysis revealed 29 criteria, discussed positively and negatively, that were used by the participants when selecting passages that contributed or detracted from a document's relevance. These criteria can be grouped into six categories: abstract (e.g., citability, informativeness), author (e.g., novelty, discipline, affiliation, perceived status), content (e.g., accuracy/validity, background, novelty, contrast, depth/scope, domain, citations, links, relevant to other interests, rarity, subject matter, thought catalyst), full text (e.g., audience, novelty, type, possible content, utility), journal/publisher (e.g., novelty, main focus, perceived quality), and personal (e.g., competition, time requirements). Results further indicate that multiple criteria are used when making relevant, partially relevant, and not-relevant judgments, and that most criteria can have either a positive or negative contribution to the relevance of a document. The criteria most frequently mentioned by study participants were content, followed by criteria characterizing the full text document. These findings may have implications for relevance feedback in information retrieval systems, suggesting that systems accept and utilize multiple positive and negative relevance criteria from users. Systems designers may want to focus on supporting content criteria followed by full text criteria as these may provide the greatest cost benefit. [source] Knowledge and educational needs of individuals with the factor V Leiden mutationJOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS, Issue 11 2003E. A. Hellmann Summary.,Background:,Genetic testing for factor (F)V Leiden is widely performed in an effort to prevent thrombosis-related morbidity. The implications of a positive test for patients' health perception and the extent of patients' understanding of results are not known. Objectives:,This study examined patient experience of genetic testing for FV Leiden. Patients and methods:,The study was a cross-sectional, mailed survey of 110 patients who tested positive for the FV Leiden gene mutation at an academic medical center between 1995 and 2001. Patient knowledge about FV Leiden, satisfaction with available information, and psychosocial reactions to testing were assessed and the influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on outcome measured. Results:,The magnitude of thrombosis risk associated with FV Leiden was incorrectly estimated by 79% of participants. Many patients (64%) stated that they had not been given much information about FV Leiden and 68% still had many questions. Most patients (53%) felt that their healthcare providers do not understand FV Leiden. Patients who had been seen by a hematologist or in a specialized thrombosis clinic were more knowledgeable and had less information need. Most patients (88%) were glad to know genetic test results, despite negative psychosocial implications such as increased worry (43%). Conclusions:,Knowledge of genetic status increases awareness of thrombosis risk among patients, but magnitude of risk is often overestimated. Affected individuals indicate that there is a lack of available information about FV Leiden and that additional educational resources are needed. [source] A conceptual selenium management modelINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2009Peter M Chapman Abstract We describe herein a conceptual selenium (Se) management model, directed toward coal mining in western Canada, but which can be applied to other coal mines and, with appropriate modification, to other industrial sources of Se to aquatic and terrestrial environments. This conceptual model provides a transparent means to integrate and synthesize existing information that can be used to provide an adaptive approach for managing ecological exposures and associated risk. It is particularly useful for visualizing and subsequently developing management interventions for Se control and risk reduction. The model provides a structured process by which critical information needs can be identified and addressed. It effectively provides the foundation for making management decisions related to Se discharges to aquatic and terrestrial environments by showing interrelationships of the various media and receptors as well as primary sources, release mechanisms, secondary sources, and exposure pathways. [source] Relatives' information needs and the characteristics of their search for information , in the words of relatives of stroke survivorsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 19-20 2010Catarina Wallengren Aim and objectives., To explore relatives' information needs and the characteristics of their information-seeking process shortly after the stroke event and six months later. Background., Providing relatives of stroke survivors with information is important, as lack of information increases their uncertainty and risk becoming the ,second patient in the family' and early death. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of relatives' information needs and information-seeking process the first six months after stroke. Design., This qualitative study has a descriptive design. Method., Open-ended interviews were conducted with sixteen relatives after stroke survivor's admission to stroke unit and six months later with nine of these relatives. Data were analysed by means of content analysis. Results., The identified information needs covered the spectrum from stroke survivor's medical condition because nurses' actions to relatives' changed health and life situation. Furthermore, relatives' information-seeking process was found to be related to their level of personal involvement, situational circumstances, different forms of knowledge and sources of information. Conclusions., Relatives' search for information emerges when health and lifestyle changes occur in survivors or themselves. It is important that this information affect them personally. Also, they need to develop different forms of knowledge when they cannot trust their own competences. As a result, instead of following established curricula based on their beliefs of relatives' information needs, nurses need to practice on identifying relatives' information needs. Relevance to practice., Different information needs and characteristics described in the study can serve as guidance in the development and implementation of pedagogical interventions to support relatives of stroke survivors. One pedagogical implication is to explore what a specific relative wants to know by how he/she talks or thinks about it. Thus, it must be taken into consideration that level of personal involvement, situational circumstances, sources of information and factual knowledge, understanding and skills are intertwined. [source] Never-ending making sense: towards a substantive theory of the information-seeking behaviour of newly diagnosed cancer patientsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 11 2007Eilis McCaughan BSc Aim., The aim of this paper was to report a study which explored the information-seeking behaviour of patients newly diagnosed with cancer in the immediate postdiagnosis period. Background., Information is an important tool for cancer patients. There is evidence that patients' information needs are not being adequately met and, in many cases, patients often do not recall much information at the time of diagnosis. Method., Using a grounded theory approach, a theoretical sample of 27 newly diagnosed patients was interviewed in their own homes. Data were analysed using grounded theory analysis procedures. Results., A substantive theory describing the transitions from ,being traumatized' by the diagnosis, through a phase of trying to ,take it on', through to ,taking control' is tentatively offered. It provides a theoretical framework to understand newly diagnosed cancer patients' changing, varied and continuing needs and their efforts to regain some control over their lives. Their information-seeking behaviour seemed a journey of ,never-ending making sense' with ongoing discovery and new information needs as they struggled with the effects of the disease and treatments. Conclusions., The processes and stages identified in this study provide nurses with a framework to assess the readiness of patients to receive information and to assist them in their efforts to regain some control over their disease and their lives. Relevance to clinical practice., Health professionals need to be aware of these stages, to be equipped to assess the need of individuals for information and support. [source] Beyond ,faith-based medicine' and EBMJOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 4 2006John De Simone Abstract Rationale, aims and objectives, Longstanding debate on evidence-based medicine (EBM) may have reached a critical saturation point. I briefly report on systematic reviews on the recurring themes in the critical literature. In this context, some criticisms to EBM are substantial and enduring, although convincing arguments to contrast unresolved issues have yet to be produced. Nonetheless, few changes have been adopted and conservative attitudes persist in EBM. Despite its ,success', implementation in practice has been inexorably overshadowed leading to paradoxical shortcomings. This controversial scenario offers a formidable occasion to gain needed insight. The aim of this paper is to attempt a comprehensive analysis by reframing a number of key concerns, while furnishing pragmatic, interdisciplinary solutions for these deep-rooted dilemmas. In the interests of all stakeholders, I seek to promote a concerted effort to resolve conflict and build consensus. Methods, This paper explores a strategically unifying vision of primary care, based on current understanding of practice patterns, having a research-friendly ,common ground' where practitioners' information needs may be met. In addition, an analysis of existing problems identifies underlying ,root causes'. Moreover, I expediently reframe crucial matters by focusing on EBM, more than as a paradigm, as an organisation, hence amenable to a variety of cross-disciplinary analyses and solutions. Finally, recent state-of-the-art reviews on implementation and dissemination research are cited for the pertinent implications for study design and practice. Results, Present policies and influential testimonials on behalf of EBM encounter the pitfalls of hindering learning and progress through defensive attitudes and mechanisms. Current study designs and evaluation criteria must strive to adapt to real-world settings, rather than vice versa. Conclusions, The arguments exposed herein alter the terms of the debate on EBM and may outline a basis for initiatives with conflict-resolution and consensus-building scopes. [source] The role of information in a community of hobbyist collectorsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Charlotte P. Lee This article marries the study of serious leisure pursuits with library and information science's (LIS) interest in people's everyday use, need, seeking, and sharing of information. Using a qualitative approach, the role of information as a phenomenon was examined in relation to the leisure activity of hobbyist collecting. In the process, a model and a typology for these collectors were developed. We find that the information needs and information seeking of hobbyist collectors is best represented as an interrelationship between information and object needs, information sources, and interactions between collectors and their publics. Our model of the role of information in a particular domain of hobbyist collecting moves away from the idea of one individual seeking information from formal systems and shifts towards a model that takes seriously the social milieu of a community. This collecting community represents a layer of a social system with complex interactions and specialized information needs that vary across collector types. Only the serious collectors habitually engage in information seeking and, occasionally, in information dissemination, in the traditional sense, yet information flows through the community and serves as a critical resource for sustaining individual and communal collecting activities. [source] Epistemology and the socio-cognitive perspective in information scienceJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Birger Hjørland This article presents a socio-cognitive perspective in relation to information science (IS) and information retrieval (IR). The differences between traditional cognitive views and the socio-cognitive or domain-analytic view are outlined. It is claimed that, given elementary skills in computer-based retrieval, people are basically interacting with representations of subject literatures in IR. The kind of knowledge needed to interact with representations of subject literatures is discussed. It is shown how different approaches or "paradigms" in the represented literature imply different information needs and relevance criteria (which users typically cannot express very well, which is why IS cannot primarily rely on user studies). These principles are exemplified by comparing behaviorism, cognitivism, psychoanalysis, and neuroscience as approaches in psychology. The relevance criteria implicit in each position are outlined, and empirical data are provided to prove the theoretical claims. It is further shown that the most general level of relevance criteria is implied by epistemological theories. The article concludes that the fundamental problems of IS and IR are based in epistemology, which therefore becomes the most important allied field for IS. [source] ICT-mediated diaspora studies: New directions in immigrant information behavior researchPROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2008Ajit Pyati Organizer/Convener A growing and sizeable area of study within information behavior research focuses on the information needs and behaviors of immigrant populations (see Chu, 1999; Fisher, Durrance & Hinton, 2004; Caidi & Allard 2005; Srinivasan & Pyati, 2007). Some of the unique needs of these populations include information to aid with coping skills and social inclusion, as well as culturally specific information resources. Moreover, immigrant communities have information networks that span national boundaries, which affects their needs and uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This panel will focus on the role of ICTs in mediating the information environments of immigrant and diasporic communities. While focusing on how ICTs mediate immigrant information needs, this panel also contextualizes immigrant information behavior research within globalization and diaspora studies. For instance, the concept of "e-diaspora" is a term gaining in popularity, but rarely invoked in relation to immigrant information behavior research. How do new media technologies mediate and influence the information needs and behaviors of immigrant populations? Are localized immigrant information needs mediated by diasporic information sources? The panelists will focus on ICT-mediated services for immigrant populations within the context of both local and global information environments. Questions addressed include: In what ways do diasporic information environments shape local immigrant information needs and their social inclusion into the host society? How does the "digital divide" manifest itself in studies of ICT-mediated immigrant information behavior? The issues addressed by the panel are both timely and critical as evidenced by the ongoing debates in Europe, North America and elsewhere on immigration policy, on integration and identity, and the role of ICTs in a globalized world. This international perspective will be reflected in the composition of the panel. [source] Information needs and prostate cancer: the development of a systematic means of identificationBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2004Jeremy Dale OBJECTIVE To design, from first principles, a valid and reliable scale for assessing the importance of specific items of information needed by patients with prostate cancer that would be straightforward to use in clinical settings, as despite its prevalence, there is little research focusing specifically on the information needs associated with prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Several stages of consultation and modification were used to inform the development of a scale which was then piloted on 96 patients with prostate cancer. Respondents were asked to rate the importance they placed on a range of prostate cancer-related topics of information, and the extent to which they felt these information needs had been met. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established and an exploratory factor analysis used to guide restructuring of the tool. Internal consistency/reliability was calculated using Cronbach's ,. RESULTS Using the scale showed that men with prostate cancer placed considerable importance on a broad range of information needs, most of which had been inadequately met. Age had a significant influence on the overall importance attributed to information, with younger patients having more need for information. The construct and content validity of the instrument were established. The factor analysis revealed four discrete factors which together explained >,68% of the variance, termed ,basics of prostate cancer care', ,disease management', ,physical well-being' and ,self-help'. Internal consistency/reliability was satisfactory (, = 0.91). CONCLUSIONS The basis of a tool capable of ascertaining the information needs of patients with prostate cancer was developed; it may offer clinicians a valid means of ascertaining information preferences and hence potentially enhance the quality of service provided. Further research is now required to refine the tool and test the effect of its longitudinal use in clinical practice on patient satisfaction and outcome. [source] |