Modelling of physicians' clinical information-seeking behaviour in Iran: a grounded theory study.

OBJECTIVES: Exploring clinical information-seeking behaviour (CISB) and its associated factors contributes to its theoretical advancement and offers a valuable framework for addressing physicians' information needs. This study delved into the dimensions, interactions, strategies and determinants of CISB among physicians at the point of care. DESIGN: A grounded theory study was developed based on Strauss and Corbin's approach. Data were collected by semistructured interviews and then analysed through open, axial and selective coding. SETTING: The study was conducted at academic centres affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. PARTICIPANTS: This investigation involved recruiting 21 specialists and subspecialists from the academic centres. RESULTS: The findings revealed that physicians' CISB encompassed multiple dimensions when addressing clinical inquiries. Seven principal themes emerged from the analysis: 'clinical information needs', 'clinical question characteristics', 'clinical information resources', 'information usability', 'factors influencing information seeking', 'action/interaction encountering clinical questions' and 'consequences of CISB'. The core category identified in this study was 'focused attention'. CONCLUSIONS: The theoretical explanation demonstrated that the CISB process was interactive and dynamic. Various stimuli, including causal, contextual and intervening conditions, guide physicians in adopting information-seeking strategies and focusing on resolving clinical challenges. However, insufficient stimuli may hinder physicians' engagement in CISB. Understanding CISB helps managers, policy-makers, clinical librarians and information system designers optimally implement several interventions, such as suitable training methods, reviewing monitoring and evaluating information systems, improving clinical decision support systems, electronic medical records and electronic health records, as well as monitoring and evaluating these systems. Such measures facilitate focused attention on clinical issues and promote CISB among physicians.

Faculty members as academic knowledge brokers in Iran's health sector: a social network analysis study.

BACKGROUND: Interaction between researchers and policymakers is an essential factor to facilitate the evidence-informed policymaking. One of the effective ways to establish this relationship and promote evidence-informed policymaking is to employ people or organizations that can play the role of knowledge brokers. This study aims to analyze the communication network and interactions between researchers and policymakers in Iran's health sector and identify key people serving as academic knowledge brokers. METHODS: This study was a survey research. Using a census approach, we administered a sociometric survey to faculty members in the health field in top ten Iranian medical universities to construct academic-policymaker network using social network analysis method. Network maps were generated using UCINET and NetDraw software. We used Indegree Centrality, Outdegree Centrality, and Betweenness Centrality indicators to determine knowledge brokers in the network. RESULTS: The drawn network had a total of 188 nodes consisting of 94 university faculty members and 94 policymakers at three national, provincial, and university levels. The network comprised a total of 177 links, with 125 connecting to policymakers and 52 to peers. Of 56 faculty members, we identified four knowledge brokers. Six policymakers were identified as key policymakers in the network, too. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that the flow of knowledge produced by research in the health field in Iran is not accomplished well from the producers of research evidence to the users of knowledge. Therefore, it seems necessary to consider incentive and support mechanisms to strengthen the interaction between researchers and policymakers in Iran's health sector.

A comparison between the lecture and self-study methods on female students' awareness and attitudes about text neck syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Text Neck Syndrome (TNS) is a common issue in the neck. The emergence of such issues makes it more pressing to offer ergonomic training to prevent their consequences. The present study aimed to compare training through the lecture and Self-Study methods awareness and attitudes about the TNS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 94 female high-school students in 2021, and a quasi-experimental methodology was implemented. The participants were randomly divided into a lecture method and a self-study group. A researcher-made questionnaire was utilized for data collection to measure the participants' attitudes and awareness. The data were analyzed according to descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULT: The findings showed that the mean post-test scores of the participants' awareness in the lecture method and self-study groups were 8.74 and 5.83, respectively, and a significant increase was observed in the post-test scores of the lecture method group. However, no significant difference was observed between the pre-test and post-test attitude scores of the two groups. CONCLUSION: As training by the use of the lecture method in a webinar format has the characteristics of a traditional and online educational simultaneously, it offers an advantage that can be utilized in educational institutions as a complementary (or even an independent) method. Moreover, the experts in medical informational sciences need to accompany training groups as they are responsible to select and prepare credible content materials for audiences.

Identifying the challenges of holding comprehensive exams in the Ph.D. programs of Iranian medical universities: A protocol for qualitative research.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of Ph.D. education is to train students equipped with science in a particular area and familiar with research methods and the most recent foundations of education and research to apply their knowledge, creativity, and innovation in research and scientific areas to meet the needs of the society, extending the frontiers of knowledge in their special field, and reach undetected areas in the world of science, especially health. One component of evaluating Ph.D. students in medical universities is the comprehensive exam that aims to assess Ph.D. students' skills, knowledge, and experiences in both educational and research areas. However, the process sometimes encounters substantial administrative challenges and problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study protocol, we will interview. Ph.D. students, members of the examining committees of comprehensive exams, and educational practitioners involved in the administration of the comprehensive exam in District 7 of Iran's medical universities (Isfahan, Kashan, Yazd, and Shaherekord)) as one of the 10 major districts of medical education in the country (Iran). RESULTS: Thus, the present study will identify the challenges of the comprehensive exam to find ways to eliminate them and offer suitable solutions to increase the effectiveness of the exam. CONCLUSION: Indeed, what is expected from this study is to help educational practitioners and policymakers in medical universities detect the strengths and weaknesses of administering the comprehensive exam and help educational practitioners and policymakers detect potential alternatives for the present comprehensive exam.

Dissemination and Acceptance of COVID-19 Misinformation in Iran: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Misinformation refers to unclear information from unreliable resources, and it is a common phenomenon of society; it can even constitute a part of family and social conversations due to the relative damages. Misinformation dissemination under the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a cause of health-related anxieties and severe harm to the countries. The present study aims to explain factors related to the dissemination and acceptance of coronavirus misinformation in Iran. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This qualitative study was carried out through content analysis in the year 2020. The population included Iranian experts in Information and Communication Sciences, among whom 19 experts were selected through the purposive sampling method. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through Continuous Thematic Analysis. Such criteria authenticated data trustworthiness as credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability proposed by Guba and Lincoln. FINDINGS: Based on the experiences of participants, six major categories and 18 subcategories were identified regarding the major theme. The major categories included the official news and informing system, misinformation nature, users, media, misinformation source, and social determinants. CONCLUSION: Concurrent with the Covid-19 outbreak, a sort of information tsunami occurs. Unavoidably, a significant amount of misinformation regarding the various aspects of the virus, such as its origin, transmission methods, control, and treatment, are published. In many cases, the spreading information is not checked and verified in terms of accuracy and authenticity. The spread and acceptance of Covid-19 related misinformation happen under the impact of various factors. Being familiar with these factors will boost the culture of health and pave the path toward establishing evidence-based information public awareness schemes.

COVID-19 information seeking needs and behaviour among citizens in Isfahan, Iran: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Access to reliable and credible health information improves individuals' personal care level in crises, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It subsequently results in enhancing the community's health and reducing the health system's costs. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 related information seeking behaviour demonstrated by citizens in Isfahan, Iran. METHODS: This research was conducted in 2020 and employed a qualitative approach using conventional content analysis. The research population was selected from almost different social classes of people in Iran using purposive sampling. The saturation point was reached at 24 semi-structured interviews. The data's soundness was confirmed based on the criteria of credibility, confirmability, dependability and transferability proposed by Guba and Lincoln. RESULTS: The findings revealed five subcategories and 25 codes within the information seeking behaviour. The subcategories included attitude towards the COVID-19 crisis, information needs, information resources, information validation and information seeking barriers. CONCLUSION: People seek information from various resources to update their knowledge and become more prepared in the face of COVID-19. The findings can be used to develop policies on informing and preventing the dissemination of false information in crises, such as the COVID-19 crisis.

PERSIAN Eye Cohort Study (PECS): Design, Methodology.

BACKGROUND: To report the study protocol, methodology and latest enrollment data of a large epidemiological multi-central eye cohort named PERSIAN Eye Cohort Study (PECS), originating from the ongoing PERSIAN Cohort Study, to investigate the distribution of ophthalmic disorders in different regions and ethnicities of Iran, and determine their associations with various exposures of ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic nature. METHODS: A central committee designed the study and equipped six chosen centers (Khameneh, Some'e Sara, Hoveizeh, Yazd, Rafsanjan and Zahedan). A focal point in each center conducted the study under close supervision of the central committee. RESULTS: This ongoing study was launched in 2014. Out of 65,580 eligible participants of the PERSIAN Cohort, 48,618 individuals aged 35-70 have been enrolled in the PECS (response rate: 74.13%) until June 2021. Slit lamp and fundus photography were performed for 28,702 (59.03%) and 27,437 (56.43%) individuals, respectively. CONCLUSION: This large epidemiological multi-central eye cohort can improve our epidemiological knowledge of the prevalent ophthalmic disorders in different regions and ethnicities of Iran, and determine their associations with various exposures of ophthalmic and non-ophthalmic nature. This will be very useful for future planned nationwide and global interventions.

Strategies, facilitators, and barriers to interaction between health researchers and policy makers: Protocol for a systematic review.

This systematic review protocol is developed with the objective to identify the strategies, facilitators, and barriers to interaction between researchers and policy makers to use research evidence in health policy making. It seems that review of interactive methods between researchers and policy makers can help to understand the role of researchers on evidence-informed policy making. Moreover, identifying barriers and facilitators of these interactions can help universities and institutions associated to health policy making in planning to improve the interaction between researchers and policy makers to facilitate evidence-informed policy making.

Effective factors on establishment of knowledge translation in the health system policy-making: A protocol for systematic review.

Despite the importance and position of evidence-based policymaking in the proper management of the health system, studies show that the lack or improper and untimely use of evidence are still one of the main challenges of health systems. Knowledge translation as a solution to this challenge is a process that includes a period of time that starts of decision to choose the research topic and continue to publish of research results, in which the interaction of the researchers and stakeholders is the key factor and the main axis of the process. Since the recognition and promotion of knowledge translation processes resulting from research in health system policy-making will lead to the improvement of the health system, this review protocol was designed to identify factors affecting knowledge translation implementation, including barriers and facilitators of this process. Identifying these factors can be used as a guide for health system decision-makers and research managers in planning to select appropriate policies for deployment of the knowledge translation process to increase the use of research results in the health system.

Identifying the roles of medical librarians in COVID-19 crisis in Iran.

BACKGROUND: The best mechanisms for medical librarians to be more involved in health, especially during crisis condition, and to expand their roles are using experiences of other individuals and performing new activities. This study aimed to identify the roles of medical librarians in the COVID-19 crisis in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research was done by a qualitative content analysis method. Research participants in the first phase included whole scientific papers (19 documents) which had been published by medical librarians related to the COVID-19 issue and in the second phase 10 medical librarians involved in the COVID-19 who were interviewed and continued until data saturation. Data were collected through each interview, and data analysis was performed using content analysis method. Then, obtained information of the first and second phases was merged together, and codes, subcategories as well as main categories were formed. RESULTS: According to the results, 7 main categories and 24 subcategories regarding the roles of librarians in COVID-19 crisis were identified. The main categories include hygiene services promotion, development of health information-seeking skills, health research services, interaction-level development, evidence-based policy development, information dissemination services promotion, and management services development. Furthermore, regarding barriers to the role of medical librarians in the COVID-19 crisis in Iran, four subcategories were identified that are medical librarian-related barriers, organization-related barriers, profession-related barriers, and context of society (country conditions)-related barriers. CONCLUSION: Medical librarians relatively have been able to provide effective health information services to managers, health-care specialists, and the general public in a variety of health fields.

Developing a program to enhance health professionals' readiness to evidence utilization in diabetes care: A mixed-methods protocol study.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is one of the most common metabolic disorders in the world and because of high prevalence and incidence rate, it is a serious challenge posed to the health system in Iran. Despite extensive knowledge of the desirable care for these patients, evidence suggests that the quality of care provided to these patients is not desirable. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to develop a training program to enhance the preparation of health professionals for evidence utilization in providing comprehensive health cares to patients with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an exploratory mixed-method study using consecutive qualitative-quantitative methods that will be conducted in three phases using the approach proposed by Werner and DeSimone to design the program. In the first phase, a qualitative study will be conducted for context assessment and identification of the requirements to enhance evidence utilization taking into account the overall knowledge translation process using semi-structured interviews with policymakers and health professionals. In the second phase, a training program will be designed based on the data extracted from the first phase, experts' opinions, and review of the literature. In the third phase, the training program will be implemented, and its effectiveness on the readiness of multidisciplinary health professionals for evidence utilization will be evaluated. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide a better understanding of how to identify and incorporate contextual factors and the real needs of health-care professionals and develop a program tailored to improving their readiness to use evidence. It can subsequently lead to providing quality care to patients with diabetes.

Personal, technical and organisational factors affect whether physicians seek answers to clinical questions during patient care: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Numerous questions are generated for physicians during patient care. Facilitators and barriers affect the physicians' clinical information-seeking behaviour. While most health studies have focused on barriers, few have dealt with facilitators. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to identify facilitators in physicians' information-seeking behaviour to help respond to clinical questions raised during patient care. METHODS: A narrative review was conducted, and 9 databases were searched. Selection criteria included original articles in the context of patient care and full-text articles published in the English language from 2002 to 2019. The articles were selected and analysed by group discussions. RESULTS: Analysis of studies disclosed personal, technical and organisational facilitators including 26 themes. Internet utilisation and information searching skills, more available time, personal interests and knowing preferred sites or textbooks were among the personal factors. The most common technical factors included providing navigation support, and ease of searching and finding needed information. The most commonly reported factors at the organisational level are closeness to Internet facility and access during the consultation. CONCLUSION: Information systems designers, health service managers and librarians may need to work together to provide systems and settings that encourage doctors to seek information to answer their clinical questions during patient care.

Factors related to the international research collaboration in the health area: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: International research collaboration (IRC) is known as one of the important indicators of productivity, efficiency, and validity of universities in the world. In other words, IRC is necessary for the scientific trade-off between researchers in international scientific societies. The study aimed to address the experiences of an academic researcher about factors related to IRC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis method. The participants consisted of 19 experienced faculty members and researchers from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, who were selected based on the purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Guba and Lincoln's evaluative criteria, including credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability, were applied to evaluate the trustworthiness of the study. RESULTS: According to the research findings, factors of "personal skills," "personality," "professional position," and "scientific activities" under the category of personal factors; "rules and regulations" and "equipment and facilities" under the organizational factors; and "domestic policies" and "foreign policies" were identified under the government factors category. CONCLUSION: Research collaborations are influenced by individual, intra-academic, and extra-academic factors; thus, research policymakers can help further to enhance the quantity and quality of scientific output and promote the university's placing in international rankings through providing conditions that enable international interactions.

Competences of academic librarians in providing health research services: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: One of the most important responsibilities of today's university libraries is supporting research activities. The present research is aimed at explaining the librarians' competencies in providing research services for researchers of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed in 2018 with a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis. The participants were 18 faculty members, students, and librarians selected by purposive sampling. Data collection was done by 18 semi-structured interviews. Continuous data analysis was performed by conventional content analysis. RESULTS: According to the participants' experiences, two major categories were recognized, including "general competencies" and "specialized competencies." The general competencies category included three subcategories of communication skill, professional ethics, and basic abilities. The specialized competencies category included six subcategories of information resource retrieval and evaluation, using research software, research assistance, intellectual property literacy, scientific publication literacy, scientometrics, and altmetrics. CONCLUSION: According to the participants' experiences, university librarians need specialized competencies in addition to basic and transdisciplinary abilities. It is suggested for research managers and policymakers to plan for empowering librarians regarding the results of the present study.

Fitness information-seeking behavior among female university students: A qualitative study.

Obsession with the physique and appearance is a by-product of consumer societies. As such, fitness and slimming have now become major concerns of Iranian females. This study endeavors to elaborate on information-seeking behaviors among female students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences concerning fitness. This study conducted in 2018, employs a qualitative approach using conventional content analysis. The research population includes female students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 16 of whom were selected with use of purposive sampling. Data were collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews and their trustworthiness was confirmed by the criteria of 'credibility', 'confirmability', 'dependability', and 'transferability' proposed by Guba and Lincoln. Results reveal four sub-categories and nineteen codes on information-seeking behavior. Sub-categories and codes including information-seeking motivations (achieving physical health, physical appearance, social acceptability, self-confidence, family and friends' pressure) information resources (electronic information resources, social media, printed information resources, doctors and nutritionists, family and friends, traditional & Islamic medicine, radio and TV), information validation (asking the doctors and specialists, matching the information with scientific references, consulting with friends and relatives) and obstacles to seeking information (lack of time, high costs, distrust, access limitation). by increasing the students' informational and media literacy, providing authentic and low-cost online resources of information and specialized TV programs, the damages rooted in using invalid information resources concerning fitness can be substantially diminished.

Clinical information seeking behavior of physicians: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Physicians encounter a large number of questions during patient care. Therefore, finding high-quality evidence provides a good opportunity to improve patient care and continue learning. OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the physicians' clinical information-seeking behavior. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Emerald, Wiley Online Library, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were systematically searched based on the defined criteria. The inclusion criteria were the original articles in the context of patient care and full-text articles published in English from 2002 to 2017. The articles were reviewed, selected, and analyzed in group discussions. RESULTS: Seventy-three articles met the study criteria. Therapy, diagnosis, and epidemiology ranked the highest ones among physicians' information needs. The mean frequency of questions raised during patient care was varied from 0.18 to 1.5 per patient, and the percentage of questions answered ranged between 22.8 and 93 %. The time taken to find the answers to the questions was between 2 to 32 min. Consultation with colleagues, alongside reviewing journal articles, Internet websites, textbooks, and MEDLINE/PubMed were the most frequently used sources reported in the retrieved articles. Further, common search strategies used by physicians included keywords, Boolean operators, similar medical terms, and advanced search. In addition, lack of time, and information searching skills and the unawareness of accessible sources were the most frequent barriers while easily searching and finding information and summaries and synthesized evidence-based materials mainly facilitated information seeking. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians increasingly encounter clinical point-of-care questions. However, the facilitation of accessing online information sources has not enabled the physicians to find answers to many of their questions. Considering the fact that they often refer to colleagues, Internet websites, and databases to find answers, the quality of information should be improved by evaluating the physicians' information-seeking behavior in the first stage, and developing information technology in a point-of-care environment, integrating EHR systems to communicate with colleagues, and accessing databases in the second stage.

Nomophobia and Health Hazards: Smartphone Use and Addiction Among University Students.

BACKGROUND: Nomophobia, a state of socio-psychological illness, refers to a fear of lack of access to mobile phone, which is thought to be a modern age disorder that causes negative health risks and harmful psychological effects. This study aimed to determine the relationship between the smartphone use and nomophobia disorder among university students. METHODS: The study utilized a cross-sectional method in which 320 students were selected via cluster sampling. Data collection tools included a nomophobia and smartphones use questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software in two sections: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The incidence rate of nomophobia among the students was moderate (3.1), and 73% of the students were moderate smartphone users. Nomophobia had a significant relationship with gender, age group, and level of education; and the frequency of using smartphones had a significant relationship with age group and level of education. There was a positive correlation coefficient between nomophobia and the frequency of using smartphones. The mobile phone use predicted nomophobia with a beta coefficient of 0.402 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Given the incidence rate of nomophobia disorder was moderate, it is necessary to make preventive decisions and plan educational programs in this regard for the health of university students. Alternative actions are recommended for the treatment in low rate of nomophobia, but drug therapy should be used in more advanced stages; therefore, it is suggested that more attention to be paid to students' free time and entertainments.

Comparison of the effects of storytelling and creative drama methods on children's awareness about personal hygiene.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Maintaining and improving the health situation of children requires them to become more aware about personal hygiene through proper education. Based on several studies, teachings provided through informal methods are fully understandable for children. Therefore, the goal of this study is to compare the effects of creative drama and storytelling education methods on increasing the awareness of children regarding personal hygiene. METHODS: This is an applied study conducted using semiempirical method in two groups. The study population consisted of 85 children participating in 4th center for Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Isfahan, 40 of which were randomly selected and placed in storytelling and creative drama groups with 20 members each. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire created by the researchers whose content validity was confirmed by health education experts. The gathered information were analyzed using both descriptive (average and standard deviation) and analytical (independent t-test and paired t-test) statistical methods. RESULTS: The findings showed that there was a meaningful difference between the awareness score of both groups before and after intervention. The average awareness score of storytelling group was increased from 50.69 to 86.83 while the average score of creative drama group was increased from 57.37 to 85.09. Furthermore, according to paired t-test results, there was no significant difference between average scores of storytelling and creative drama groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study showed that although both storytelling and creative drama methods are effective in increasing the awareness of children regarding personal hygiene, there is no significant difference between the two methods.

Information seeking anxiety among M.A. Students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: Information-seeking anxiety is a feeling caused by abundance of information or failure to proper interpret the information that can adversely affect the ability of individuals for seeking information and meeting their information needs. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate information-seeking anxiety, factors causing it, and methods for addressing and reducing this type of anxiety. The purpose of this study was to evaluate information-seeking anxiety in postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study has been conducted using survey method. A total of 265 postgraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were selected with the help of stratified random sampling. Data collection tool was a questionnaire designed for this purpose. The gathered data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The results indicated that the topic selection factor played a more prominent role in creating information seeking anxiety compared to other factors. Apart from students of school of medicine, information seeking anxiety was below average among the students. In addition, there was a significant difference between information seeking anxiety in students from different departments. Finally, female students had higher information seeking anxiety compared to male students. CONCLUSION: Although information seeking anxiety among students was lower than average in most cases, further reduction of anxiety could be achieved by facilitating access to information resources and library information services and increasing the quality of students' information literacy through training courses tailored to each discipline are necessary.