Comparing the performance of librarians and medical specialists in retrieving clinical evidence: an observational study.

Q1 Social Sciences
Medical Reference Services Quarterly Pub Date : 2025-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-05-19 DOI:10.1080/02763869.2025.2471886
Amaneh Dadashi, Vahideh Zarea Gavgani, Sakineh Hajebrahimi, Mina Mahami-Oskouei
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Access to precise and reliable scientific evidence is one of the fundamental principles of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) in clinical decision-making processes. Medical librarians, by employing advanced search and information retrieval techniques, play a pivotal role in accessing such evidence. This observational study compared the search and evidence retrieval behaviors of two groups: Medical librarians and medical specialists familiar with EBM and systematic reviews. The study population consisted of 40 participants (20 medical librarians and 20 medical specialists), whose performance in retrieving the best available evidence from credible sources was evaluated using two distinct clinical scenarios. A researcher-developed checklist was created in accordance with the Guidelines for Evaluating Evidence-Based Search Strategies and was utilized to assess the search performance of participants. The findings revealed that medical librarians employed structured search strategies and were more successful in retrieving accurate evidence. They consistently utilized structured search strategies, field-specific search tools, and narrowing techniques in all cases. In contrast, medical specialists spent less time on searches and exhibited a greater tendency to use natural language terms in their search queries. medical specialists did not systematically employ controlled vocabulary or place keywords in specific fields, such as titles, keywords, or abstracts. In conclusion, librarians' expertise in accessing the best available evidence underscores their crucial role in supporting medical specialists in obtaining and implementing evidence, thereby improving the quality and reliability of evidence-based practices in healthcare settings.

比较图书馆员和医学专家在检索临床证据方面的表现:一项观察性研究。
获得准确可靠的科学证据是循证医学在临床决策过程中的基本原则之一。医学图书馆员通过采用先进的搜索和信息检索技术,在获取此类证据方面发挥着关键作用。这项观察性研究比较了两组的搜索和证据检索行为:医学图书馆员和熟悉循证医学和系统评价的医学专家。研究人群包括40名参与者(20名医学图书管理员和20名医学专家),他们在从可信来源检索最佳可用证据方面的表现通过两种不同的临床场景进行评估。研究者根据《循证搜索策略评估指南》制定了一份检查表,用于评估参与者的搜索表现。研究结果表明,医学图书馆员采用结构化的搜索策略,在检索准确的证据方面更成功。他们在所有情况下都一贯使用结构化搜索策略、特定领域的搜索工具和缩小搜索范围的技术。相比之下,医学专家花在搜索上的时间更少,而且在搜索查询中更倾向于使用自然语言术语。医学专家没有系统地使用受控词汇或在特定领域(如标题、关键词或摘要)放置关键词。总之,图书馆员在获取最佳可用证据方面的专业知识强调了他们在支持医学专家获取和实施证据方面的关键作用,从而提高了医疗保健环境中循证实践的质量和可靠性。
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来源期刊
Medical Reference Services Quarterly
Medical Reference Services Quarterly Social Sciences-Library and Information Sciences
CiteScore
4.00
自引率
0.00%
发文量
33
期刊介绍: This highly acclaimed, peer-reviewed journal is an essential working tool for medical and health sciences librarians. For those professionals who provide reference and public services to health sciences personnel in clinical, educational, or research settings, Medical Reference Services Quarterly covers topics of current interest and practical value in the areas of reference in medicine and related specialties, the biomedical sciences, nursing, and allied health. This exciting and comprehensive resource regularly publishes brief practice-oriented articles relating to medical reference services, with an emphasis on user education, database searching, and electronic information. Two columns feature the Internet and informatics education.
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