Information Seeking Behavior of the Nurses in Using Up-To-Date Database

Nursing is one of the largest groups of health care providers that needs updated information to improve quality and quantity of health care services, clinical activities, etc. In the meantime, evidence-based databases (such as Up-To-Date Database) significantly contribute to improve performance and efficiency of health services by providing the latest findings on health issues. The present study aimed to survey the information seeking behavior and information needs of nurses working in Ahvaz hospitals affiliated with Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in using Up-To-Date database.
Material and In this descriptive-analytical study, the statistical population consisted of 1246 nurses working in hospitals of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences among which 293 nurses were selected. The required data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient as 0.71. Descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis Test were used for data analysis.
The results showed that most of the nurses needed information about new developments in the field of nursing and medications. A majority of the nurses used simple searching technique to find the required information. Most of the nurses aimed to update their information using Up-To-Date Database. The main barrier to update information was shortage of time.
Therefore, it is essential to teach information skills to nurses; so that they can access modern and updated information in the field of nursing and obtain the latest information in this field from evidence-based information sources and databases.