Glut of information, dearth of knowledge? A consideration of the information needs of practitioners identified during the FAME project

Purpose – This paper emanates from work carried out in the learning and evaluation strand of the UK e‐government initiative Framework for MultiAgency Environments (FAME) and focuses on a research question raised during research on the FAME project. When considering the best ways in which to disseminate the results of such initiatives, it became apparent that it would be useful to examine how the professionals and practitioners to be targeted currently accessed and used information.Design/methodology/approach – The paper combined a literature review with an analysis of data from a pre‐implementation FAME questionnaire and a post‐implementation questionnaire and analysis of data on attendance at project board meetings for the FAME strands.Findings – There are IT and training implications with respect to social care professionals' and practitioners' access to information. With respect to IT, there are issues of access and skills levels which may explain a preference displayed among the professionals and prac...

[1]  L. Buttlar,et al.  Information and research needs of acute-care clinical nurses. , 1996, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.

[2]  Richard Smith.  What clinical information do doctors need? , 1996, BMJ.

[3]  Thomas E. Backer.  Information alchemy: Transforming information through knowledge utilization , 1993 .

[4]  Paul N. Gorman,et al.  Information needs of physicians , 1995 .

[5]  E. Hallam,et al.  World Wide Web Community Networks and the Voluntary Sector , 1998 .

[6]  R. Cullen,et al.  The medical specialist: information gateway or gatekeeper for the family practitioner. , 1997, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.

[7]  M. Castro,et al.  Studies on the prolactin-releasing mechanism of histones H2A and H2B. , 2000, Life sciences.

[8]  Claire B. Rubin.  The need for digital educational resources in emergency management , 2003 .

[9]  A. Verhoeven,et al.  Use of information sources by family physicians: a literature survey. , 1995, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association.

[10]  E. R. Stinson,et al.  Survey of health professionals' information habits and needs. Conducted through personal interviews. , 1980, JAMA.

[11]  T Timpka,et al.  Information needs and information seeking behaviour in primary health care. , 1989, Scandinavian journal of primary health care.

[12]  P. Ramchandani,et al.  Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services: Oxymoron or Brave New Dawn? , 2001 .

[13]  Scott Farrar,et al.  Advanced question and answering systems for community development , 2002, Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[14]  A. Booth,et al.  The need for information and research skills training to support evidence‐based social care: a literature review and survey , 2003 .

[15]  Susan Baines,et al.  FrAmework for Multi-Agency Environments (FAME) : Final Report of the Learning & Evaluation Strand , 2004 .

[16]  Mark Hepworth,et al.  NHS and Social Care Interface: a Study of Social Workers’ Library and Information Needs , 2004, J. Libr. Inf. Sci..

[17]  S Corcoran-Perry,et al.  Supplemental-information-seeking behavior of cardiovascular nurses. , 1990, Research in nursing & health.

[18]  John Seely Brown,et al.  Book Reviews : The Social Life of Information By John Seely Brown and Paul Duguid. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2000. 320 pages , 2000 .

[19]  D P Connelly,et al.  Knowledge resource preferences of family physicians. , 1990, The Journal of family practice.

[20]  C Dickmann,et al.  WWW-based continuing medical education: how do general practitioners use it? , 2000, Studies in health technology and informatics.

[21]  J. Ely,et al.  The information needs of family physicians: case-specific clinical questions. , 1992, The Journal of family practice.

[22]  A. Moseley,et al.  Evidence based practice in the real world , 2005 .

[23]  Martin C. Calder,et al.  Out of the frying pan into the fire? A critical analysis of the Integrated Children's System , 2004 .