ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The study assesses the impact on client behavior and attitudes toward receiving an information prescription as part of a veterinary office visit. METHODS: A random sample of veterinary clinics from a Western US metropolitan area was asked to distribute an information prescription in addition to their customary veterinary services. All clients, regardless of the reason for their visit, were presented with an information prescription: a handout that included the uniform resource locator (URL) to a general veterinary medicine website
Subject(s)
Consumer Health Information , Hospitals, Animal , Information Seeking Behavior , Internet , Pets , Animals , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Pilot Projects , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The research assessed the attitudes and behaviors of pet owners pertaining to online search behavior for pet health information. METHODS: A survey was conducted with a random sample of pet owners drawn from two US metropolitan areas and surrounding cities. Participating clinics were chosen randomly, and each participating clinic was asked to distribute 100 surveys to their clients until all surveys were disbursed. RESULTS: Although some perceptions and behaviors surrounding the use of the Internet for pet health information differ based on gender, age, or education level of pet owners, there are many aspects in which there are no differences based on these demographics. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study suggest that closer examination of the common perception that gender, age, or education level has an effect on Internet behavior as it relates to veterinary medicine is required. Recommendations are made pertaining to the growing presence of the Internet and its impact on veterinary medicine.
Subject(s)
Animal Welfare/statistics & numerical data , Community Participation/statistics & numerical data , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Information Seeking Behavior , Information Storage and Retrieval/methods , Internet/statistics & numerical data , Age Distribution , Animals , Humans , Sex Distribution , Social Marketing , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , United StatesABSTRACT
This qualitative study seeks to determine the nature of the instruction librarians provide to veterinary medical students at all 28 United States veterinary colleges. A secondary goal of the study was to determine in what ways and to what extent librarians participated in other instructional activities at their colleges. Over half of the librarians formally taught in one or more courses, predominantly in the first two years of the veterinary curriculum. One presentation per course was most common. Over half of the librarians interviewed stated that evidence-based veterinary medicine was taught at their colleges, and about half of these librarians collaborated with veterinary faculty in this instruction. Many librarians participated in orientation for first-year veterinary students. The librarians also taught instructional sessions for residents, interns, faculty, graduate students, and practicing veterinarians. This study found that librarians teach information literacy skills both formally and informally, but, in general, instruction by librarians was not well integrated into the curriculum. This study advances several recommendations to help veterinary students develop information literacy skills. These include: encourage veterinary faculty and administrators to collaborate more closely with librarians, incorporate a broader array of information literacy skills into assignments, and add a literature evaluation course to the curriculum.