Understanding information needs
Assessment of healthcare knowledge
Objective assessment of healthcare knowledge is one approach to understanding healthcare information needs. Several studies show that health workers and lay healthcare providers often lack basic, essential healthcare knowledge, contributing to preventable death and suffering.
Assessment of healthcare practice
Objective assessment of healthcare practice can provide an indication of healthcare information needs, although availability of healthcare information is only one of several contributing factors.
Needs as perceived by healthcare providers
‘Information needs assessments’ typically ask healthcare providers themselves about what information they have, what they find most useful, and what information they would like to have.
Guidelines for identifying information and learning needs
This subject was addressed by HIFA2015 in 2009 and discussed further at the ‘Wales for Africa’ workshop in July 2009:
Guidelines
Full report of HIFA2015 discussion and workshop
Quotes from the literature
“Much more research needs to be aimed at identifying information needs in less-developed countries.”
Richard Horton 2000
“The studies suggest a gross lack of knowledge about the basics on how to diagnose and manage common diseases, going right across the health workforce and often associated with suboptimal, ineffective and dangerous health care practices. If this level of knowledge and practice is representative, as it appears to be, it indicates that modern medicine, even at a basic level, has largely failed the majority of the world’s population.”
Pakenham-Walsh N & Bukachi F 2009
“The information and learning needs of family caregivers and primary and district health workers have been ignored for too long. Improving the availability and use of relevant, reliable health care information has enormous potential to radically improve health care worldwide.”
Pakenham-Walsh N & Bukachi F 2009
References
Horton R 2000. North and South: bridging the information gap. Lancet 2000; 355: 2231-36
