Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Dec 2007)
Risk Profile May Affect Search Process but Not Results. A review of: McKibbon, K. Ann, Douglas B. Fridsma, and Rebecca S. Crowley. “How Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes Toward Risk and Uncertainty Affect Their Use of Electronic Information Resources.” Journal of the Medical Library Association 95.2 (2007): 138‐46, e49‐50. 10 Nov. 2007 <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1852627>.
Abstract
Objective – To compare the use, in terms of process and outcomes, of electronic information resources by primary care physicians with different risk profiles and comfort with uncertainty.Design – Survey, and observation using “think‐aloud” method.Setting – Physicians’ offices.Subjects – Canadian and U.S. primary carephysicians who report seeing patients in clinic settings.Methods – Volunteers were recruited from personal contacts and the list of physicianswho rate current studies for the McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE) project. Physicians completed the Pearson scale to measure attitude toward risk and the Gerrity scale to measure comfort with uncertainty, and those who scored at the extremes of each of these two scales were included in the study (n=25), resulting in four groups (risk‐seeking, risk‐avoiding, uncertainty‐stressed, uncertainty unstressed). One researcher observed each of these physicians in their offices for an hour during which they completed questionnaires about their computer skills and familiarity with resources, answered multiple‐choice clinical questions, and indicated level of certainty with regard to those answers (scale of 0 to 100%). Physicians also chose two of the clinical questions to answer using their own resources. The think‐aloud method was employed, and transcripts were coded and analyzed.Main results – The study analysis included two comparisons: risk‐seeking (11 subjects) versus risk‐avoiding (11 subjects) physicians,and uncertainty‐stressed (11 subjects) versus uncertainty‐unstressed (10 subjects) physicians. Most physicians were included in both sets of analyses. The researchers found no association of risk attitude and uncertainty stress with computer skills nor with familiarity and use of specific information resources (Internet, MEDLINE, PIER, Clinical Evidence, and UpToDate). No differences were found for the following outcomes: time spent searching, answers correct before searching, answers correct after searching, and certainty of answer if answer is right, certainty of answer if answer is wrong. There was a statistically significant association of participants’ indicating certainty for answers that were correct versus those that were not correct (pConclusion – Based on a small sample, it appears that primary care physicians who are risk‐seeking and/or less stressed by uncertainty have the same (poor) search results as their more risk‐averse and stressed‐by‐uncertainty colleagues although their search processes may differ.
