Physicians' attitude towards evidence-based medical practice and health science library services

Background and Objectives: It has been more than a decade since evidence-based medical practice (EBMP) became a top curriculum in medicine. Developing countries, however, have problems practicing EBM since it needs skills, time, and resources. Libraries and librarians can play a vital role in provid...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gavgani, Vahideh Zarea, Mohan, Vangari Vishwa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2021
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154144
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
Description
Summary:Background and Objectives: It has been more than a decade since evidence-based medical practice (EBMP) became a top curriculum in medicine. Developing countries, however, have problems practicing EBM since it needs skills, time, and resources. Libraries and librarians can play a vital role in providing physicians with evidence-based information. This user study was directed at exploring physicians’ attitudes towards EBMP, their awareness and practical knowledge in finding and evaluating evidence/information, and the implication of these findings for health science library services. Methodology: A survey method was adopted to carry out the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The target population was comprised of physicians and specialists from government and private hospitals in Hyderabad, India. One hundred twenty-four responses were received. MS Excel and SPSS software were used for statistical analyses. Results: The study revealed that physicians have positive attitudes toward EBMP. They also agree that EBMP is obligatory on the part of physicians—professionally, ethically, and legally. They indicated a high usage rate of print and electronic sources, which suggests that health science libraries should be equipped to support physicians in EBMP. Conclusion: This study concludes that efficient librarian information support services should be provided to physicians in order to enable them to practice evidence-based medicine.