Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Patricia Mc Gee

Abstract

Efficient digital information retrieval at the point of care is essential for better health care delivery. The problem is the lack of knowledge about the community physician’s digital information retrieval at the point of care. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of the community physicians’ digital information retrieval at the point of care in eight Arab countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and whether a set of factors predicted the digital information retrieval. This study was guided by the Smith model that links professional digital practices to professional competencies, digital literacy, and technological affordances. The descriptive research question directly addressed the purpose of the study, and the correlational research question addressed the extent information and computer literacy, age, sex, practice location, evidence-based medicine (EBM) training, internet access, and the use of subscribed versus free or no electronic resources predicted the digital information retrieval of community family physicians at the point of care. The study design was cross-sectional correlational using an anonymous online survey among N = 72 community family physicians. The dependent variable was the physician’s digital information retrieval at the point of care. The independent variables considered were information and computer literacy, age, sex, practice location, EBM training, internet access, and the use of subscribed versus free or no electronic resources. The information retrieval at the point of care was low. The multiple linear regression did not support the prediction of the digital information retrieval behavior by the set of the variables. However, the findings may contribute to positive social change by reinforcing the need for physicians’ information retrieval at the point of care, which in turn may lead to better decision-making and safer patient care.

Download

Share

 
COinS