Searching for patient educational material using electronic information resources: An exploration of nurses' search behavior

Browser-based electronic resources are a major source of information: their interfaces are attractive and they provide different organizing structures for information and access that can accommodate user preferences and needs. Although these electronic information resources seem to offer nurses particular advantages in obtaining patient educational information, their integration in nursing practice is rather inconsistent. Lack of information searching skills and time needed to sort the long and undifferentiated search results are considered significant constraints.; The reported study is an in-depth data analysis of 16 instances in which nurses in their work setting searched for patient educational information using electronic resources. Data collection occurred in vivo and consisted of multiple observational methods. It included audiotaping nurses reflections when recognizing a need for patient-educational information and while searching electronic resources. It also comprised recordings of the researcher's observations during the search process, detailed search logs of each nurses interactions with the electronic information sources, and nurses answers to open-ended questions. Data analysis consisted of three distinct content analyses using multiple reviewers. In addition, the search paths followed by the nurses to locate the information were reconstructed using content and process indicators.; Analysis revealed four clusters of reasons to use electronic resources in clinical practice: professional, personal, technological and organizational reasons. Nurses appear to follow a staged search process similar to that identified in the Model of Information Searching proposed by Kuhlthau. However, differences from Kuhlthau's model were observed: nurses demonstrated some but not all of the patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions Kuhlthau identified; nurses also experienced some thoughts, feelings, and actions not documented by Kuhlthau. Additionally, nurses did not progress through the stages sequentially but rather iterated the early stages. Nurses appraised their own search strategies as inefficient, attributing it to a lack of knowledge regarding electronic information resources, mechanism employed by search engines, and the constant changing information. Nonetheless, nurses attempting to meet a range of patient educational needs perceived value in diversity and variety found in electronic information resources. Perceived organizational policies sanctioning electronic information access also influenced nurses' use of electronic resources in practice.