Information needs of health researchers at the National Institute of Health and Development, Ministry of Health, Indonesia

Abstract

The present study attempted to investigate the information needs/information seeking behaviour of health researchers at the National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health, Indonesia. Its objective was to identify the relationship between information needs/information seeking behaviour and the characteristics of those health professionals. Those characteristics include institution to which health professionals belonged, institution geographic location, level of appointment, level of education, and work experience.
Research was carried out through survey by using a questionnaire. This survey obtained a response rate of 92 percent from a sample of 131 health professionals. Their information needs/information seeking behaviour were correlated with their characteristics to determine relationships, and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Frequency distribution, chi-square analysis, and descriptive analysis were used to obtain the results.
The study found that the health information available did not match the health
professionals' needs and that there was strong demand by these personnel for automated
information services. It also found that total hours reading per week was significantly
related to level of appointment, level of education, and work experience at other
institutions. The perceived usefulness of journals as information sources was
significantly related to institution, geographic location, level of appointment, level of
education and work experience at other institutions. Government publications and
statistical data as a source of information were found to be related significantly to
institution and geographic location. There was also a relationship between the
perceived value of reference books and work experience at the current institution. The
usefulness of library catalogues as a guide to information was found to be related significantly to institution and geographic location, as was the usefulness of abstracting and indexing services to level of education. Frequency of visiting libraries was significantly related to institution, geographic location and level of appointment. The membership of professional organizations and obtaining useful information from friends, colleagues or personal contact were found to be significantly related to level of education.
The study concludes with recommendations and suggestions for further research.

Date of Award	1992
Original language	English
Supervisor	Peter Clayton (Supervisor)