Academic Psychiatry 27:100-103, June 2003
© 2003 Academic Psychiatry
Assessing the Information Needs of Psychiatric Residents
Rebecca A. Abromitis, M.L.S.,
Ester Saghafi, M.Ed., M.L.S. and
Barbara L. Folb, M.L.S.
The authors are with the Health Sciences Library System, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Library, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Address correspondence to Ms. Abromitis, WPIC Library, Thomas Detre Hall, 2nd Floor, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: baa{at}pitt.edu
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ABSTRACT
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Objective: Staff at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Library conducted a survey of residents and fellows to determine their informational needs and their interest in an orientation to the library's resources. Methods: A brief questionnaire was distributed to the facility's 59 psychiatric residents and fellows to determine their awareness of 12 library resources and services (e.g., online databases and database searches conducted by librarians), their interest in an orientation to these resources and services, their self-rated level of skill in using them, whether they would attend training sessions, and, if so, when the best time for such sessions might be. Results: A total of 28 questionnaires were returned. Respondents favored an orientation (82%) and indicated that a 1-hour session would be appropriate, although the best time to hold it was less clear. Fifty percent or more were aware of each of the six resources they would be most likely to use in their work. Nearly all had used MEDLINE, but most respondents had not used most of the other resources and services. Conclusions: Instruction on the use of information resources can be useful to psychiatric residents and fellows. On the basis of the survey results, a library orientation session was developed to address the information needs indicated by respondents and to enhance their skills in retrieving pertinent literature for clinical care and research. A post-orientation questionnaire indicated that the session was useful and well received.
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INTRODUCTION
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The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) program requirements for residency training in psychiatry stipulate that library support services include electronic retrieval of information from medical databases. Residency training "must also provide the education and training necessary to understand the major psychiatric literature" and "research methods in the clinical and behavioral sciences related to psychiatry" (1). Implicit in these requirements is the premise that residents can locate high-quality literature related to psychiatry using bibliographic databases. Moreover, the information needs of evidence-based clinical practice, along with the rigorous approval process for medical research involving human or animal subjects, necessitate that psychiatrists on all career paths have a broad knowledge of available information resources.
Recently, collaborative research articles produced by librarians and physicians on the topic of searching the medical literature have appeared in journals such as JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, British Journal of Medical Psychology, and the Medical Journal of Australia (2–6). McDonald's (7) comparison of the coverage of scholarly psychiatric journals indexed by PsycLIT, Embase, Biosis, and MEDLINE demonstrates that use and knowledge of all four databases are required for a thorough search of the psychiatric literature.
Changes in information technology have given library users access to a wide range of bibliographic and full-text electronic library resources via the Internet. In addition, the availability of remote access to electronic library resources and services has affected the interactions between library users and librarians, reducing librarians' knowledge of users' information retrieval skills and training needs.
Rather than assume what library users need, librarians at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Library asked for input from a selected group of users—the psychiatric residents and fellows in training. The library has one of the largest and most comprehensive mental health collections in the United States. It is part of the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System, which serves the faculty, staff, and students of the university and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, including a robust psychiatry residency and fellowship program.
Program participants work within a demanding schedule, which limits their ability to participate in library instruction. Librarians wanted to determine whether residents desired a program of library instruction targeting their needs and accommodating their schedule. A search of the literature conducted in preparation for this article revealed that very few library surveys have focused on the needs of medical residents and fellows (8), and none of the studies we identified concentrated specifically on psychiatric residents. An educational needs assessment survey of psychiatric residents and fellows at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic provided information that we used to develop and implement a library orientation program to meet their perceived needs and to fulfill ACGME requirements.
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METHOD
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Mindful of the diminished interaction between librarians and time-constrained residents, a brief questionnaire survey was deemed the best method for determining residents' awareness of library resources and services, their perception of whether an orientation to these resources and services is necessary or desirable, the appropriate training level for them, their willingness to attend training, and their ability to find time for it. Interviews with the Office of Residency Training staff would complement the information produced by the survey.
The questionnaire comprised eight structured questions (copies may be obtained from the first author). In July 2000, questionnaires were distributed to 59 psychiatric residents and fellows; 28 were returned, for a response rate of 47%. Respondents were distributed fairly evenly throughout the five program years, with first- and second-year residents constituting a narrow majority.
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RESULTS
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Awareness of Library Resources and Services
Asked about their awareness of 12 library resources and services, 50% or more of the respondents indicated that they were aware of the six items they would most commonly use on the job. Among the resources known to less than 50% were database searches performed by a librarian, and a library computer and media facility equipped with workstations for database searching.
Perception of Orientation as Necessary or Desirable
Table 1 summarizes the responses to the survey questions on interest in library orientation and the types of information respondents thought should be included. Notable is the overwhelming interest in an orientation (82%), even among residents well advanced in their training.
Appropriate Training Level
In self-rating their skills in using eight electronic resources, 27 of the 28 respondents indicated at least beginning skills in searching MEDLINE. Most respondents had never used any of the other resources (71%–82%), except full-text online journals. Table 2 presents results for six of the eight resources. Two resources, BIOETHICSLINE and AIDSLINE, were omitted because they have since been merged into MEDLINE.
Availability and Willingness to Attend Training
There was no consensus on a convenient time of day or day of the week for orientation, but 1 hour of training was clearly preferred.
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DISCUSSION
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Presented with the results of the survey, the Office of Residency Training gave its support to orientation development plans. Librarians developed an initial catch-up program for all residents and fellows, with future orientations planned for only new residents and fellows.
Given the survey results, the content of the initial orientation included an overview of all library resources and services, followed by an in-depth description of local electronic resources, presented in a PowerPoint lecture format. Although hands-on database instruction is the preferred teaching method for search instruction, it was not practical in the 1 hour allotted or with a potential attendance of 59 persons. Instead, participants were encouraged to attend library classes that are open to all library users or to schedule individual sessions with librarians.
Efforts to facilitate attendance included using a time slot traditionally reserved for various instructional activities, providing lunch, and providing reminders about the session in meetings and by e-mail. The orientation, which was held in January 2001, had 27 attendees, or 45% of the 59 potential attendees. Although this proportion is comparable to the response rate for the survey, there was not a strong correlation between survey completion and orientation attendance; only 9 of the 28 survey completers (32%) attended the orientation.
An evaluation survey distributed in the orientation packet was completed by 20 (74%) attendees. As shown in Table 3, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Ninety percent agreed or strongly agreed that the orientation gave them a good overview of the library's resources and services and that the presentation method was conducive to learning. Evaluation questions about the amount and level of information presented and the time allotted for the presentation received a positive response from 80%–85% of respondents.
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CONCLUSIONS
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Results of both the survey and the post-orientation evaluation indicate that library orientations and database search training for residents are important components of psychiatric residency training. One notable finding that will guide future planning efforts at our library is that 65% of the respondents indicated a desire for more in-depth instruction on specific information resources. The library overview presented in January 2001 was a catch-up program that was open to 59 potential attendees, which meant that a lecture hall setting was required. Future classes will consist of about six first-year residents, allowing more individualized instruction, hands-on learning, and in-depth exploration of the databases and full-text resources in a computer lab setting.
As residents move through the training years, it will be possible to integrate library instruction into existing didactic courses they attend. This is currently done in a class called Interpreting the Psychiatric Literature, attended by third-year residents, which offers instruction on locating literature most likely to support evidence-based mental health care.
Ongoing evaluation of the new training format will most likely lead to further refinements in the library orientation program. The ultimate goal is to produce psychiatrists who are aware of the information resources relevant to their needs, confident in the results of their own searches, and able to judge when assistance from an information professional would be beneficial.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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The authors thank Lori M. Hruska, M.L.I.S., for assistance in conducting the survey and Barbara A. Epstein, M.S.L.S., and Nancy H. Tannery, M.L.S., for guidance and suggestions.
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REFERENCES
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- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Program Requirements for Residency Training in Psychiatry. Chicago, 2002. Available at http://www.acgme.org/req/400pr101.asp
- Hunt DL, Jaeschke R, McKibbon KA: User's guides to the medical literature: 21. using electronic health information resources in evidence-based practice. JAMA 2000; 283:1875-1879[Free Full Text]
- Hunt DL, McKibbon KA: Locating and appraising systematic reviews. Ann Intern Med 1997; 126:532-538[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Watson RJD, Richardson PH: Accessing the literature on outcome studies in group psychotherapy: the sensitivity and precision of Medline and PsycINFO bibliographic database searching. Br J Med Psychol 1999; 72:127-134
- Watson RJD, Richardson PH: Identifying randomized controlled trials of cognitive therapy for depression: comparing the efficiency of Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO bibliographic databases. Br J Med Psychol 1999; 72:535-542
- Del Mar CB, Glasziou PP: Ways of using evidence-based medicine in general practice. Med J Aust 2001; 174:347-350[Medline]
- McDonald S, Taylor L, Adams C: Searching the right database: a comparison of four databases for psychiatry journals. Health Libr Rev 1999; 16:151-156[CrossRef][Medline]
- Forrest M, Robb M: The information needs of doctors-in-training: case study from the Cairns Library, University of Oxford. Health Libr Rev 2000; 17:129-135[CrossRef][Medline]
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ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
