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1
Brine, Alan. "Information needs of historic houses." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2008. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/4323.
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In the United Kingdom (UK) historic houses form part of the tourism and leisure market. Heritage encompasses a wide variety of establishments including historic houses, historic gardens, heritage centres, town centres, countryside and museums. The UK has a vast cultural resource in this respect and the research intends to concentrate on establishments that are known as the "built heritage" and that are often described as "historic" or "country houses". Millions of visitors annually visit properties to experience an insight into earlier periods of British history and culture. Many operate similarly to small businesses and often have a more diverse range of needs. A model was developed for the study to show the information needs of historic houses and the information seeking behaviour of those managing historic houses. Data have been collected both via questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires involved the investigation of those managing (owners, administrators, custodians) heritage establishments. The interview questions were put directly to individuals responsible for properties from a geographically dispersed area, with different categories of ownership (English Heritage, National Trust, private, local authority) and with different levels of visitor traffic. The survey focused on diversity of activities, information provision, use of information, developments (including technology) and collaboration. Historic houses have been part of a growing sector, allied to the growth in the leisure industry, which has led to increasing demands on their time and finances. In a world that increasingly provides more information than can be handled effectively by any one individual, properties need to be able to make effective use of this to protect the heritage for future generations. Building on the empirical work recommendations are made on policy making, education, audits, co-operation and technology to improve the provision and management of information within the sector to support these establishments. The research represents the first study to investigate the existing situation of historic houses and their information needs in the UK, to try and provide an overview of the sector and information provision and how that might be improved.
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Calderon, Thomas G. "Banker needs for accounting information." Diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/76508.
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This research examines the extent to which user needs are affected by differences in the size and ownership characteristics of reporting entities. Bank loan officers constitute the target group of financial statement users and the study focuses on the perceived need for sixteen financial statement items. Among these are twelve items for which differentiation in financial reporting has been proposed (key items), and four items that bankers generally require when evaluating a loan application (control items) . The research model is based on the hypothesis that perceptions of accounting information are affected by the decision context, complexity of the organization in which the decision is being made, and the behavior response repertoire of the user.
A quasi-experimental design with two treatments is utilized. The treatments are (1) a commercial loan decision involving a small privately held corporation, and (2) a commercial loan decision involving a large public corporation. A questionnaire was mailed to gather the data. Three hundred and fifteen usable responses were received, for a response rate of 21%.
The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and canonical correlation analysis. Differences in the size and ownership characteristics of commercial loan applicants were found to have a statistically significant impact on the perceived needs of bankers for financial statement information. This relationship is most observable among disclosures that are perceived to be of lesser importance in the loan evaluation process. The perceived needs for items that are considered to be of greater importance (for example, the control items) are relatively insensitive to variations in the size and ownership characteristics of commercial loan applicants. Overall, commercial loan officers tend to perceive a relatively high need for general financial statement items, but tend to downplay the importance of the more specific and detailed items.
The results also indicate that the organizational complexity of a bank, and the degree to which its commercial loan officers are committed to the work ethic of the banking profession, are significantly related to the perceived need for financial statement disclosures.Ph. D.
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Carey, Marian Elizabeth. "The information needs of informal carers." Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, 1999. http://clok.uclan.ac.uk/20301/.
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This thesis is concerned with the information needs of informal carers, or, as they are now increasingly referred to, carers Within this thesis, the appellation carer is defined in terms chosen by carers themselves. In their words, • A carer is someone whose life is restricted by the need to assist another person to live independently at home. Information is similarly defined by reference to the perspective of the carers, whose information needs form the topic of this research. For the purposes of this thesis, therefore, information is defined as follows • information is all knowledge, ideas, facts and data which are communicated in any format either formally or informally, and which, for whatever reason, are needful for carers to know. Information has been identified as a key requirement by most of the surveys undertaken of carers since 1988. Most surveys of carers and their needs have noted the absence or deficiency of this critical resource; yet relevant information is prolific, and accessible through a multiplicity of mechanisms and formats. This thesis set out to answer four important questions: • Why, when information appears to be so widely accessible, do carers continue to assert that lack of information remains one of their key problems? • What is the role of workers and other professionals in information provision to carers? • What changes to current information provision and dissemination would remove the obstacles to carers obtaining the information they need? • Is there a role for the public library service in either creating or overseeing the provision of an information strategy for carers? These questions were examined within a Leicester-based study of a group of carers of older people, and carers who were themselves older people, during the period 1994-1996. The study followed a qualitative methodology and used a number of methods. The chief of these entailed the researcher, in her professional role as Community Care Librarian, acting as a critical friend, that is one, who through understanding the context of the presenting situation, is able to offer a helpful critique, a valued judgement and an honest response. This approach elicited a wealth of qualitative data through telephone contact with carers on a regular and frequent basis during a period of fifteen months. The study also included a sample of workers and potential information providers, already having professional responsibilities in the households of the participating carers and who were involved through a series of focused semi-structured interviews. The workers represented a range of health, social services and voluntary sector teams and organisations. The data obtained from this study was particularly rich and subtle, providing unexpected insights into considerably more than information provision, as well as confirmation of certain conjectured findings. For example, the results indicate that the carers in the study were proactive information seekers, rather than passive recipients of information despite having poor formal and informal information networks. As a result, they were almost entirely dependent upon the professional workers as sources of information. Because of restrictive multi-disciplinary and inter-agency working and a lack of systematic and effective information support, workers were unable to fulfill all the carers' expectations in this regard. The study would indicate a crucial role for an agency able to devise an effective information strategy, suitable to meet not only the needs of carers, but also of others similarly disadvantaged in information provision. Such an agency could itself act as an holistic information provider, or else take responsibility for overseeing such a service. In the perception of the study participants the public library service, in theory uniquely placed to fulfill such a role, held a low profile as an information provider. If such an opinion were to be confirmed amongst the general population, it would seem that this role could not automatically be assigned to public libraries. However, the availability of insufficient evidence to either corroborate or refute such an opinion resulted in this particular research question remaining unanswered.
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Blanchard, Julian. "Information needs and rights of shareholders /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phb6392.pdf.
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Karl, Charles A., and n/a. "The learning driver : meeting traveller information needs." Swinburne University of Technology, 2003. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20060906.102946.
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In many parts of the world today, drivers have access to a growing range of traveller information services, from traffic reports on the radio and variable message signs along roads to customised information that could be delivered to personal mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) as well as to the global navigation units appearing in many vehicles.
The key commercial question is, what information does the driver want? So far, while traveller information services deliver increasingly sophisticated incident reports, journey times and other such information, driver response has remained lukewarm. This thesis suggests that the problem lies in understanding the driver rather than improving the content. Therefore, it has sought to establish: Q1. What do drivers already know?; Q2. How did they learn it?; Q3. What do drivers need now and in the future as they continue to learn?
And for traveller information service providers, the related question:
Q4. How can information providers accommodate drivers' learning?
This thesis reports a qualitative case study based on ten in-depth interviews with drivers who had previously participated in a six week trial receiving customised traveller information about their commutes to and from work, through their mobile phones.
The thesis reports that drivers principally learn from their experiences in processes well established in the adult learning literature. It has found that commuter drivers can be regarded as experts on their commutes, but that the domain of any drivers' expertise is limited both spatially and temporally.
When presented with dynamic, customised traveller information, it was found that commuter drivers enter a learning curve affected by previous experience and immediate need in which learning to access and utilise appropriate travel information is a dynamic process. Drivers learn about using traveller information, they learn about the types of traveller information available and they also learn whether to trust the information provider.
As adults who learn and think, drivers see the role of an information service provider as facilitating their own understanding of the phenomena of traffic they face everyday and, in turn, supporting their learning to make better informed decisions. The thesis concludes that customised traveller information will become effective when it meets the current understanding and needs of the driver as an active learner whose information requirements change over time and from time to time.
This thesis contributes to an increased understanding of drivers, their knowledge and how they learn. As a result, it offers traveller information providers with a substantially increased understanding of how to meet their drivers' needs.
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Rait, Satwant K. "Reading and information needs of elderly Punjabis." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1993. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/12438.
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A survey investigating the reading and information needs of elderly Punjabis was conducted in Bradford and Derbyshire. A questionnaire was prepared which was used as a structured interview. 120 interviews were recorded, 60 from each authority. This number included Hindus, Moslems and Sikhs and the generic term 'Punjabi' was used for these three distinct religious groups. Women were also included in this survey to see if they have any different requirements from men. Reading and information material included print and nonprint material. This research presents the actual needs of elderly Punjabis as they perceive them. A special collection could easily be prepared on the basis of the material quoted by them in their interviews which would be helpful for any library authority with few adaptations according to their local needs. Social, economic and cultural factors influencing their reading behaviour and pattern are also discussed.
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Herman, Eti Aniko. "The information needs of contemporary academic researchers." Thesis, City University London, 2005. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/8468/.
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This thesis looks at the information component of the research endeavour at a particularly interesting point in time, when strikingly new developments in both the scholarly world and its information environs cast doubt on the validity of anything and everything we have traditionally been holding true as to academic researchers' information needs and practices. Indeed, the host of societal demands driven transformations in the organisation, values and practices of scholarly knowledge production of recent years, coupled with the technology-enabled, rapidly evolving opportunities for creating, accessing and communicating information suggest that neither researchers' information needs, nor their attempts at meeting these needs could conceivably remain untouched. This state of affairs has been the impetus for undertaking the re-examination reported here of our long-established notions concerning scholarly information needs and practices. The study sets out, therefore, to investigate, analyse and systematically describe the information work of researchers in academe of the knowledge society. This, with the express aim of achieving a comprehensive, state-of-the-art portrayal of the generic, as well as the disciplinary and/or age specific information needs and corresponding information behaviour of today's university-based researchers. Towards this purpose, the thesis integrates three inter-related elements: a user-centred theoretical perspective, proposed by Nicholas (1996,2000), which views an information need as having eleven different dimensions; a state-of-the-art review, based on the literature; and a hybrid, field research project, conducted at the University of Haifa, Israel, comprising two consecutive stages, a two-phase qualitative stage of interviews, and a quantitative stage of a questionnaire survey. Thus, the theoretical perspective and the insights offered by the published literature in the field combine with the data collected for the present undertaking to inform the research questions. Unravelling the complex picture of contemporary academic researchers' information needs has proven to be an undertaking of exceptionally wide scope. Not only does it look at an entire information community, but also, utilising as it does the eleven-pronged analytical framework for assessing information needs, developed by Nicholas (1996, 2000) on the basis of his conceptual approach, it also took a far more comprehensive view of the concept of research-related information need than other field-based investigations. Endeavouring to draw an overarching portrayal of the information needs characterising today's academic researchers, the thesis opens, therefore, with the rationale for the investigation, its aims, scope and setting. Then it proceeds to recap our traditionally held notions concerning scholarly work and its information component by reviewing the literature depicting the socio-cultural context of the scientific enterprise. Next the theoretical foundations of the investigation are delineated, followed by a detailed account of the field-work based insights gleaned into the information component of academic research work. Then all of the information presented is interpreted in the light of the research questions, for a comprehensive portrayal of contemporary researchers' information needs and practices to materialise. As surmised, many elements of the present-day, research-associated in formation work, as they emerge from the findings of this investigation, comprise changed or changing features. Nevertheless, the overall picture bears testimony to the continued existence and relevance of those core scholarly information needs, which are dictated by the basic professional values of academics and their discipline-specific research work conventions. Thus, today's researchers may define their information needs in terms of the changing realities of conducting research in academe of the knowledge society, may more or less happily embrace information work practices,w hich involve novel responses to the new challenges posed to them, but their fundamental information needs seem to have remained by and large unaffected by the recent upheavals in the scholarly world and its information environs. Indeed, the present study re-affirms yet again that the inter-disciplinary differences in analytic processes and research work-habits, stemming as they do from the very nature of the way knowledge grows in each of the knowledge domains, entail discretionary information needs and uses both on the inter-individual and the intra-individual level. These needs, summarised here as a generalised profile of scientists, socials scientists, and humanists, whilst clearly indicative of changing elements in contemporary research-associated in formation work, nevertheless bear testimony to the ongoing vital importance of heeding the research-work conventions rooted specific information needs of the different communities comprising the academic population.
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Campbell, Iain. "The ostensive model of developing information needs." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.401648.
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Karl, Charles A. "The learning driver meeting traveller information needs /." Swinburne Research Bank, 2003. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au/public/adt-VSWT20060906.102946.
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Thesis (DBA) -- Swinburne University of Technology, Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, 2003.Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, 2003. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 212-224).
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McCaughan, Eilis. "Information needs and information seeking behaviour of newly-diagnosed cancer patients." Thesis, University of Ulster, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.274433.
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Ladd, Dana L. "Information Needs and Information Sources of Patients Diagnosed with Rare Cancers." VCU Scholars Compass, 2016. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4563.
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Abstract
INFORMATION NEEDS AND INFORMATION SOURCES OF PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH RARE CANCERS
By Dana L. Ladd, Ph.D., MS, SLIS
BACKGROUND: Approximately 25% of all cancers diagnosed are considered rare. Patients may face many significant challenges including difficulty obtaining information about their rare conditions. Patients often have high information needs and may seek desired information from a variety of informational sources including healthcare providers, media, print, government and non-profit organizations in order to meet their needs. Accessing reliable consumer-level information can be challenging and often information needs are unmet. Dissatisfaction with health information provision can result in negative health-related outcomes and factors including decreased health-related quality of life.
METHOD: This cross-sectional design study used validated measures to assess the information needs, information sources, information satisfaction, and health-related quality of life of patients diagnosed with rare cancers (n=113). Adult patients at the VCU Health Massey Cancer Center who had been diagnosed with a rare cancer in the past 12 months were contacted via mail survey. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patients’ information need and information received levels. Unmet needs were analyzed using a two-sample T-test. Chi-square tests were used to analyze information needs and received by demographics for gender and race and logistic regression analysis was used for age. Descriptive statistics summarized information sources used and preferred. Finally, descriptive statistics were used to summarize information satisfaction. The relationship between information satisfaction and health-related quality of life was assessed using a two-sample T-test.
RESULTS: Study participants had high information needs, particularly for information about disease, medical tests, and treatment. Though patients also reported receiving information at high levels, 21 participants (18.9%) reported being unsatisfied with information provision. Unmet needs were found for information about disease and on the item level for information about causes of cancer, whether their cancer was under control, expected benefits of treatment, and financial, insurance, and work-related information. Although participants reported preferring information from their healthcare providers, they most commonly sought information from the Internet more than any other source.
CONCLUSION: By identifying patients’ information needs and sources, this study fills an important gap in the information needs and sources literature of patients diagnosed with rare cancers. Identification of these needs allows healthcare providers to tailor information provision to more effectively meet patients’ information needs.
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Andre, M., and M. J. Barrulas. "From expatriates' information needs to information management in the expatriation cycle." Open Institute of Knowledge, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105291.
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This study is aimed at to identify and to understand the role of information in what concerns the mobility process of top executives, helping organisations to make the most of their expatriatesâ experiences. The methodological approach chosen was the case study, carried out in an economic group of the Portuguese financial sector with several business operations abroad. Several data collection methods were used, including a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and in loco interaction with the expatriates in three different countries. Based on the analysis of expatriatesâ information needs, a typology of information throughout the complete cycle is described and two critical moments are identified. These moments correspond to transitions of expatriatesâ informational spaces: first the moment of arrival to the host country and second, when they return to their home country. The incorporation of expatriatesâ information in the organizational information system, across the various phases of the expatriation cycle, is summarized.
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Kravchyna, Victoria. "Information Needs of Art Museum Visitors: Real and Virtual." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2004. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4692/.
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Museums and libraries are considered large repositories of human knowledge and human culture. They have similar missions and goals in distributing accumulated knowledge to society. Current digitization projects allow both, museums and libraries to reach a broader audience, share their resources with a variety of users. While studies of information seeking behavior, retrieval systems and metadata in library science have a long history; such research studies in museum environments are at their early experimental stage. There are few studies concerning information seeking behavior and needs of virtual museum visitors, especially with the use of images in the museums' collections available on the Web. The current study identifies preferences of a variety of user groups about the information specifics on current exhibits, museum collections metadata information, and the use of multimedia. The study of information seeking behavior of users groups of museum digital collections or cultural collections allows examination and analysis of users' information needs, and the organization of cultural information, including descriptive metadata and the quantity of information that may be required. In addition, the study delineates information needs that different categories of users may have in common: teachers in high schools, students in colleges and universities, museum professionals, art historians and researchers, and the general public. This research also compares informational and educational needs of real visitors with the needs of virtual visitors. Educational needs of real visitors are based on various studies conducted and summarized by Falk and Dierking (2000), and an evaluation of the art museum websites previously conducted to support the current study.
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Brelage, Christian S. "Web information system development : conceptual modelling of navigation for satisfying information needs /." Berlin : Logos-Verl, 2006. http://bvbr.bib-bvb.de:8991/F?func=service&doc_library=BVB01&doc_number=014831687&line_number=0001&func_code=DB_RECORDS&service_type=MEDIA.
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Brelage, Christian S. "Web information system development conceptual modelling of navigation for satisfying information needs." Berlin Logos-Verl, 2005. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?id=2793065&prov=M&dok_var=1&dok_ext=htm.
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Mat, Saat Suzanie. "Information needs of children of a parent with cancer." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2016. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/21546.
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This PhD thesis explored the experiences of dependent children and children care-givers facing challenges with their parent s cancer. The aim was to understand children s information experience including their perception of cancer and information culture; information needs, information seeking behaviour, barriers and enablers. The research used a six-stage process. This was informed by an extensive literature review and discussions with cancer specialists, psychologists and researchers from United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Malaysia. This study used a three-cycle, eight-step process of Participative Action Research (PAR) with participation from ten Malay breast cancer patients and their dependent children. Three bilingual (English and Bahasa Malaysia) instruments were developed; 1) An Inquiry to Participate Form to select participants who had dependent children, 2) Three opened-ended questions to obtain children s cancer experience and information needs where drawing was used to encourage children s responses and, 3) A 15-question questionnaire to understand children s experience and information preference. Cancer affected parenting abilities and challenging experiences identified the lack of culturally relevant information and the shift in caregiving responsibilities to dependent children. Children s understanding of cancer was influenced by their experiences and observations, many of which resulted in misconceptions about cancer, its causes, treatment and preventative measures. Children participant s reaction to a health situation triggered their information behaviour. The burden of caregiving and the consequences of a lack of information were greater than anticipated; children had many dimensions of concern and experienced many challenges. This advocated for a more assessable, attractive and sensitive information system. Data synthesis contributed to the development of a Children s Reactive Information Seeking Behaviour An Integrated Model that seeks to explain the relationship between children participants reaction to a health situation and the subsequent processes they undergo to resolve their state of information need.
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Du, Toit Gysbert Petrus. "Cognitive complexity's influence on information needs in change." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2004. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06212005-082736.
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Thesis (M.Comm. (Human resources management))-University of Pretoria, 2004.Summaries in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.
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Barrett, Julia. "Designing websites to meet older people's information needs." Thesis, University of Reading, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.520127.
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Carew, Debra. "Discharge information needs of outpatient cardiac catheterization patients." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape9/PQDD_0001/MQ46121.pdf.
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Davies, Karen. "Clinical information needs of doctors in the UK." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2008. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/8089.
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The aim of this study was to determine the information-seeking behaviour, needs and preferences of doctors, specifically with reference to Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) in the UK. This is particularly relevant during the current IT and resource development currently being undertaken in the NHS. Mixed methods research techniques were utilised to gather and analyse the data collected to meet the aims and objectives of this study. Three data collection methods have been utilised. The first utilised Clinical Librarians to count the information needs (questions) of doctors (Clinical Librarians Logs). The second data collection method gathered clinical questions from clinical librarians (specialists), medical librarians (generalists) and from websites hosting clinical questions (such as http://www.attract.wales.nhs.uk). These were analysed using the taxonomy developed by Ely et al. 2000. Finally an online questionnaire was used to gather data on doctors' awareness and use of electronic EBM resources. The major finding is that research undertaken on the information needs in the healthcare sector in the USA cannot be readily utilised in the NHS. This research utilised a unique data collection technique, the Clinical Librarian as a data collector. This enabled the quantification of doctors unperceived information needs. This research identified that doctors in the UK asked roughly one question for every four patients seen. Despite the advances and ease of use of electronic resources, the preferred information source was colleagues. Time continues to be the major barrier for accessinge lectronici nformation to aid clinical decision making.
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Harrison, Joan P. "The information and planning needs of health visitors." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 1988. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20694/.
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Rationale: The health visiting service is not planned on the basis of the health needs of the local population. Although relevant information is available it has not been made accessible for use. This study aims to: 1. Obtain baseline data regarding aims, planning methods, health goals and information needs of health visitors in selected practices in Sheffield. 2. Provide information concerning the health visitors' potential caseload and monitor its impact on the production of community profiles and identification of health goals. 3. Evaluate whether health visitors perceive positive change in their planning abilities and whether information provided meets their information needs. 4. Evaluate the social and political effects on the organisation of the health visiting service relating to the information provision. Nature. Scope and Method: An action research approach is used. The sample included, health visitors (N = 31) and their managers (N = 8), who were interviewed with an audiotaped interview schedule, piloted (N = 11). The health visitor sampled attended information workshops resulting in their building community profiles, negotiating practice with managers and producing an innovative method of planning. Workshop discussions and interview results were relayed back to all participants. The health visitor sample completed an evaluation questionnaire. Organisational changes during the research period were recorded. Contribution to knowledge: Community profiles can be used to assist community diagnosis relating the planning of the health visiting service to the health needs of the population. Profiles can fill information gaps existing in the service. Organisational changes to aid profile effectiveness include implementing, an information policy and system, appraisals, clear general policy statements, management training, and addressing a series of changes sought by health visitors. Alternative sources of funding for the service are suggested, as is grassroots representation in the planning process. The study provides an insight into the information and planning needs of health visitors in their organisational setting.
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Whyte, Grafton A. "Understanding user perceptions of successful information systems." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.260374.
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Mohamed-Arraid, Ali. "Information needs and information seeking behaviour of Libyan doctors working in Libyan hospitals." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2011. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/8791.
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Objective: The aims of this study were to examine urban and rural doctors' information needs and information seeking behaviours; review their use of information channels; sources; information and communication technologies and to assess their information literacy. It was expected that this would inform future efforts that support doctors in their daily care of patients. Methodology: A multi-method approach was used in this study. The main reason for that was to increase understanding gained from the quantitative data by obtaining more in-depth information from qualitative data and to integrate the advantages of both methods. Concurrent triangulation strategy was chosen to conduct the quantitative and qualitative study. An exploratory survey was the research method, and a paper based questionnaire and face to face interviews (along with critical incident techniques embedded in the interview) were the research techniques used to gather data. Results: out of 1029 questionnaires that were distributed 334 (32.46%) were returned. The valid responses were 256 (24.88%). Patient data, disease information, drug information, medical images & lab results, medical complications and guidelines were the main types of doctors' information needs. Education and clinical practice were the main contexts that give rise to doctors' information needs. Ambiguity, uncertainty, rare diseases and the multiplicity of options were the motivations for information needs. Updating, answering colleagues/patient questions and writing research papers were the purposes for which information was used. Personal library and human sources were the heavily used channels to access information. Books rather than journals was indicated the top information source. In addition, more than a quarter of urban doctors and 41.5% of rural doctors ranked online databases as the last source to be consulted. The majority of doctors indicated a difficulty in obtaining electronic information particularly from online databases; moreover the majority reported that sometimes they would like to have the search performed by a mediator. The majority demonstrated that they use field search and more than one term, but there was less use of Boolean parameters or truncation in the search strategies. Availability, ease of access and v use, integration in the work environment and information skills were the main types of barrier to using information sources, particularly electronic sources. Summary, the study identified that context, such as clinical work, where a particular task e.g. decision making leads to information needs. These may lead to information seeking behaviour to fulfil the need. However, doctors' information seeking encountered barriers that hampered the fulfilment of information needs.
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Kadowaki, Jay Akira Rowley James L. "Information needs assessment of the Patuxent River Naval Hospital /." Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 1994. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA281037.
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Mannerhagen, Anders. "A case study of nurses information and communication needs." Thesis, Department of Computer and Information Science, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-19833.
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The role of information technology within health care is getting more central and prominent. The purpose of this change is both to make the health care more efficient and to heighten patient safety. This exploratory case study of four care units aims to provide a glimpse into the clinical work of nurses, and to indentify and describe their communication and information needs. The analytical framework used in this study is distributed cognition and the research method used is cognitive ethnography. The study provides a peek into the complex system of health care, and how the central artifacts such as patient records, whiteboards and different alarm systems are used in this context. The result of the study describes the current work practices and information flows in the studied care units. From these results general system design implications are made.
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Ormandy, P. "Chronic kidney disease : patient information needs, preferences and priorities." Thesis, University of Salford, 2008. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/19383/.
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This thesis seeks to explore, identify and describe the information needs and the preferences and priorities for information of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The premise of the research being that CKD patients will have preferred key information needs, which are of a priority to them, at different times during the progression of their disease. Attention will focus on three areas: • The theory and methodology underpinning information need research in health and information science, exploring key concepts to establish working definitions • What information patients’ want and the contextual factors that influence the manifestation of an information need • The development and testing of a CKD Information Needs Questionnaire (INQ) that profiles and prioritises information topics to facilitate, demographic and disease progression sub-group analysis Chapters one and two, set the scene and focus of the study, identifying the context of CKD, aetiology, prevalence, current NHS policy and service provision building a clear study rationale. The national political agenda advocates the need to develop patient-led services alongside encouraging self-management skills for CKD patients to meet the future demands on renal services. For this to be achieved understanding the information needs of CKD patients is important. Chapters three to six, consider the theory and methodology underpinning existing research in the field of information need, drawing on expertise from both Information Science and Health. The meaning of information and information need are explored and the contextual factors that influence the need for information extrapolated. Existing evidence on information topics important to CKD patients are drawn from a systematic literature review. The study adopts a mixed method approach combining qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews and a paired comparison INQ to identify, understand and measure information need. The study findings are presented sequentially in chapter’s seven to nine. The first two chapters scrutinise the qualitative data to elicit core information needs and explore the context in which information needs arise. Information topics from the literature are compared and contrasted with data extracted from the in-depth interviews and nine core information needs identified. These include information on what is CKD and what to expect in the future; physical affect and symptoms of CKD; complications and side effects; different treatment options, practical aspects of treatment; self-management information regarding diet, fluids, medication and blood results; impact of CKD on daily life and social activities; information on how to cope and adapt with CKD and information from other patients about their experiences. Findings indicate that CKD patients have preferences for information that emerge to satisfy an underlying goal. Information needs are hierarchical in nature and influenced by the context of the individual, factors include the relevance of topic, personal circumstances, coping styles, current events and lifestyle. The core information needs were used to ground the development of the INQ, followed by the testing of the tool and subsequent statistical analysis, in chapter nine. The information topics considered highest priority are concerned with information about self-management, complications and physical symptoms. Middle range items included information regarding practical aspects of RRT, how it affects daily life, the cause of CKD, treatment options. Information topics considered less important were how to cope and adapt to life with CKD and information from other patients about their experiences. Differences between information priorities were observed across demographic groups influenced by age, treatment modality and time since diagnosis. Chapter ten draws together the evidence and discusses the findings in context with the wider literature highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the research strategy. An innovative patient-led information strategy is proposed based on the construction of meaning and making sense of information, alongside practical changes to improve the quality of information provision to meet the needs of CKD patients. Chapter eleven concludes the study and denotes recommendations for future information need research, information provision in practice and policy. These include the application of the nine core information needs (as a topic guide) in clinical practice to initiate patient discussion and draw out specific individual information need. The evidence base developed from this in-depth study will inform and support the current and future content of patient education programmes. Developing healthcare documentation that records the preferences and priorities for information of a CKD patient as they emerge and captures the patient’s temporal goals of information, information purpose and the influencing contextual factors, is essential to effectively communicate patient information needs within the multi-professional team. Finally the introduction of a patient-led information service is recommended that would facilitate and encourage self-management skills and effective information provision in clinical practice. Such a proactive approach implemented from diagnosis throughout the disease trajectory would meet the continuous information needs of CKD patients.
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Kadowaki, Jay Akira, and James L. Rowley. "Information needs assessment of the Patuxent River Naval Hospital." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/28290.
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The Patuxent River Naval Hospital is examining methods to provide the highest quality and access to care at the lowest cost possible. To do this, a number of data or information needs must be identified. It is the purpose of this thesis to identify Patuxent River Naval Hospital's information needs. A research method was applied to capture these information needs. Interviews with key managers revealed a number of Critical Success Factors (CSF). These CSFs are: Access to Quality Care, Management of Financial Resources, Management of Physical Resources, and Management of Human Resources. Under each CSF, a number of functional needs were identified, with each being tied to a number of effectiveness measures. From these effectiveness measures, the information needs of the organization emerge. The identified information needs are then examined against the existing information systems capabilities. A frame work is developed for examining the information needs of the Patuxent River Naval Hospital. Many of the identified information needs do not exist in the current information systems and recommendations are provided on how to fill the gaps
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Faux, Fern. "Literacy, special needs and the use of information technology." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.400417.
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Singh, Raj R. (Raj Richard). "Adapting geographic information systems to address sketch planning needs." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70273.
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Meyer, Shaina Elizabeth Ms. "Information needs regarding cleft lip and palate: A survey." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429823264.
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Lee, Jesse Han-Leng. "Identifying users' information needs: A case of SIDC library." School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105258.
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The Securities Industry Development Centre (SIDC) is the education and training arm of the Securities Commission (SC), and the SIDC Library serves both SC staff and the securities industry. The SIDC Library is a specialised library that has its resources focused on the capital market. Identifying usersâ information needs is a first step towards analysing the information needs of SIDC Library members and the SC staff. The study was motivated by the fact that an analysis of information needs help identify the SIDC Library resources for further development to ensure the delivery of information services matches usersâ needs. In this paper, we would like to share a study that was conducted to analyse how the SIDC Library services were tailored to meet the information needs of users. By studying this aspect, we will be able to see how the library defines and classifies its user types, and addresses issues impacting information services through proper operation planning and practices.
The respondents for this paper were mainly SIDC Library members and SC staff. The result of the study is based on a collection of survey questionnaires, personal interviews and records of user requests for documents. From this study, a profile of user information needs was established; enabling the library management to identify, support and provide an efficient delivery mechanism for meeting usersâ information needs. This study helped SIDC librarians identify the kind of information that was needed and generated, and to support those which are not readily available by further developing a comprehensive new subject/collection of SIDC Library information resources. This will also provide an insight into the users' expectations on content resources and services of the SIDC Library, as well as for developing library user education programmes. Thus, the study of usersâ information needs is one tool that enables SIDC Librarians to discover, evaluate, implement, maintain and improve its management of information resources.
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Safahieh, Hajar, and Diljit Singh. "Information needs of international students at a Malaysian University." School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/105363.
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The number of students studying away from their home countries is increasing. These students face various challenges when studying abroad, including meeting their information needs. This study investigated the information needs of international students at the University of Malaya. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to 70 students, of whom 54 (77.1%) responded. It was found the main information needs were related to the university, the faculty, and their programs of study. The students used the library in attempting to meet their information needs, although the frequency of library usage was generally low. The main barriers in seeking information were language related, and unfamiliarity with the library or-ganization and mission. Language proficiency appeared to be a barrier in being able to meet the information needs. Although the majority of the students considered themselves to be computer and Internet literate, but that did not have a relationship on the problems they faced in meeting the information needs.
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Wallace, Rick L. "Information Needs of Healthcare Professionals in Rural Northeast Tennessee and the Effectiveness of NETAHEC in Meeting These Needs." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1998. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/8699.
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Abd, Wahab Alawiyah. "Designing an information infrastructure to support research degree programmes : identifying information and technology needs." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/3149.
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Extensive previous research has shown that web-based technologies have the potential to improve and enhance the quality of learning both on campus and at a distance. However, most of these studies have focused on the application of web-based technologies to support either undergraduates or taught postgraduate programmes, particularly, the use of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) system to complement module-based courses. Evidence from previous research on the use of VLE to support research students in the context of specific modules showed mixed results. Analysis of the VLE literature suggests that the system arranges courses based on academic calendar. Thus, students will not be able to access the system after the semester end. With postgraduate research, the processes of research are often incomplete even when students have graduated and they often seek to further the work through publication in journals. Therefore, using VLE alone would not possibly support the need of research student, particularly the support that they need throughout the stages of the research life cycle. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate how a web portal could be designed to support the research students throughout the research life cycle. A conceptualised web portal design has been constructed through an extensive review of the web-based technologies, learning theories and research degrees literature. The conceptualised web portal design illustrates that the design is underpinned by adult learning theories and the theory of stages in socialisation development, which in turn inform the framework of this research study. This model was then validated and updated through four action research cycles. A web portal system was developed, using the prototyping method to demonstrate the application of the web portal design informed by the adult learning theories and theory of stages in socialisation development. The research findings suggest that action research and prototyping methodology is capable of designing a web portal that is able to support the needs of research students in the context of a life cycle approach. Furthermore, the study reveals that personalisation and customisation features have proved to be useful in providing relevant information to research students at each stage of the research students’ study. It was found that research students value dynamic content such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS) features for providing condensed, updated content relevant to their interests.
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Stooke, Rosamund. "Partnerships for children's literacy, the information needs and information seeking activities of concerned parents." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ39889.pdf.
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Lithebe, Matsie Theresa. "Investigation of information needs and information-seeking behaviour of Members of Parliament in Lesotho." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8070.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-105).Information plays a crucial role in people's lives. Members of Parliament (MPs) as decision makers therefore need to be equipped with information so that they can be able to make sound decisions based on facts. They need to have access to different types of information sources such as newspapers, both local, regional and international, journals and books. Libraries of parliaments are and should also be seen to be making it easier for MPs to access information. This study investigates the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of MPs of the Lesotho parliament. A survey was done where questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from 120 members of the National Assembly and 33 Senators who all comprise Members of Parliament of Lesotho. The questionnaire consisted of both the open-ended and closed ended questions. Through the open-ended questions, the researcher was able to get more details which could not be found in short-ended questions. Interviews were also used to give the respondents the opportunity to say more of what they could not be able to say in the questionnaire. However only a selected questions were picked where the researcher felt that the respondents could further express themselves. Only five willing respondents were used in the interviews as others were not willing to be interviewed. Telephone interview was chosen as more convenient by respondents since they do not have much time during the day due to their parliamentary work commitments.MPs in Lesotho have indicated their information needs as all information that can be helpful in their parliamentary work such as during debates, when attending meetings be it workshops, conferences and interviews on political issues. Besides other information sources, such as newspapers, reports and the Internet, MPs rely mostly on books. They also use other fellow parliamentarians as sources of information.
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Mugwisi, Tinashe. "The information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in Zimbabwe." Thesis, University of Zululand, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10530/1204.
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Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Library and Information Science) in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013.Agriculture is the dominant sector in Zimbabwe’s economy, contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing an income to over 75% of the population. Agricultural research and extension is undertaken in both public and private sector institutions across the five agro-ecological regions of the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in the public sector in Zimbabwe. The government is responsible for agriculture in Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development (MoAMID). The study focused on researchers falling under the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DR&SS) and extension workers under the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX). The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods; a questionnaire was distributed to researchers and extension workers, and interviews were conducted with key informants and librarians. An observation schedule on the state of agricultural libraries in Zimbabwe was also used. The respondents were drawn from eight provinces and research institutes as defined in the target population. Mashonaland Central Province produced the highest number of respondents because the population for the province included ward and village extension workers in addition to the district and provincial extension officers and supervisors targeted in each province. Forty four (44) districts participated from the projected sixty (60), while sixteen (16) out of seventeen (17) research institutes responded, although there were variations in responses per institute. The findings of the study indicated that the respondents held qualifications ranging from certificates (for extension workers at ward level) to doctorates for senior researchers in their respective areas of work. The study also showed that the agricultural researchers were generally younger than extension workers, and on average the majority of both categories of respondents had less than 10 years working experience. The majority of the respondents also had less than five years working experience in their current positions. In terms of gender, there were more males than females in both categories of respondents. The study revealed that the information needs of the researchers and extension workers aligned with the major agricultural disciplines of crop science, animal science, agricultural engineering, although agricultural economics did not attract prominence. v The respondents were using various sources of information in fulfilling their information needs, ranging from libraries to internet sources (including databases and other electronic sources), consulting colleagues, workshops and seminars, and personal collections. The level of usage and preferences differed, but overall agricultural researchers showed a preference for electronic sources while extension workers preferred print sources. Departmental collections were especially prominent among the extension workers, and these were mentioned as their first point of call when they were in need of information. Library usage was low, and it was observed that the Ministry of Agriculture’s libraries were not adequately equipped to meet the information needs of the researchers and extension workers. The materials were dated, and the libraries had no budget for the acquisition of new resources. Internet access was limited to institutions with access to internet connections and requisite technologies like computers; the TEEAL database, for example, was only available on standalone access at the Central Library. The different available resources were considered to be important sources of agricultural information. The use of indigenous knowledge by both researchers and extension workers in agriculture was also evident in the study. The study revealed that agricultural research prioritisation was determined by the government, national needs, and the availability of funds in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including farmers. The research extension model that is used suggests a communication pattern where researchers reach the farmers through the extension system and also through direct contact with the farmers. The reverse – farmer to researcher - also shows communication in the opposite (upward) direction. Overall, the researchers and extension workers appear to play a pivotal role in disseminating agricultural information to the farmers. Various channels also appear to be used to communicate agricultural information, including the media, pamphlets and posters, and public gatherings like field days and agricultural shows. Lack of material in local languages was identified as a major challenge in the communication process, although some translation was being done. This challenge was exacerbated by the land reform programme, which has seen a massive increase in the number of people directly involved in farming. The Ministry of Agriculture was seen to lack a clear policy on the management of information generated by its departments, including research and extension. This was vi despite mention by the respondents that the information was adequately captured. The study showed that ICTs were used to generate information which was subsequently distributed as hard copies. The distribution of such material was hampered by lack of resources like printers and toners. ICTs such as the radio, television, the internet, databases, and telephones were also being used to disseminate agricultural information, although databases were hampered by the lack of computers. Mobile phones, although not readily available as office equipment, were highly utilised in the communication process. The study revealed that there is collaboration between agricultural researchers and extension workers and with other stakeholders at both local and international level in the areas of material production, research facilities, and training. Linkages were also evident with farmer organisations in the areas of funding, farm research, and materials production. The study concluded that funding was one of the main challenges facing research and extension in Zimbabwe, with donor funding having dried up in recent years. Although privatisation and charging for services have been considered as alternatives for income generation, they face criticism for discriminating against poor farmers. The study recommends that the Central Library should be empowered in terms of personnel and other resources in order to address the information needs of researchers and extension workers. It also recommends the strengthening of the delivery of research and extension services by capacitating research and extension institutions through adequate ICTs, funding and enhanced collaboration with relevant stakeholders among other issues.
University of Zululand
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Bitso, Constance Majomane Likonelo. "The information needs and information-seeking patterns of secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho : implications for information service." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24644.
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This thesis reports on a study that investigated the information needs and the information-seeking patterns of secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho with the aim of guiding the design and the implementation of information service for these teachers. It was instigated by variations in content acquired by geography teachers graduating from the National University of Lesotho. The study followed a survey method using focus group discussions with the in-service teachers who were the core participants, questionnaire with the prospective teachers and individual interviews with officials in institutions that work closely with secondary level geography teachers in order to triangulate and validate the survey results. The school libraries as part of information service provided to these teachers were also partially observed through site visits to note existing services. From the visits to school libraries the status quo and key problems in this regard were identified. The data collected through the questionnaire were mainly quantitative and were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative data from the focus group discussions and individual interviews were analysed by examining themes in such a way that common trends were established. Narratives were compared with each other throughout the entire data-processing stage. There were 82 in-service geography teachers from 28 out of 51 schools offering geography at both junior and senior secondary level in seven out of ten districts of Lesotho who participated in the study. Furthermore, 46 out of 62 prospective geography teachers and nine officials from institutions involved in secondary level geography education participated in this study. The study used the Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain’s (1996) information-seeking of professionals’ model as its theoretical framework but overlaid it with other models such as Savolainen’s (1995) everyday life information-seeking model and Wilson’s (1999) nested model of information behaviour where necessary. The Leckie, Pettigrew and Sylvain’s (1996) model helped to reveal the work environment of the in-service teachers, including their work roles, associated tasks, information needs and information-seeking patterns. The secondary level geography teachers (including in-service and prospective teachers) in Lesotho have a variety of information needs. The nature of the information needed is current and accurate for the content that they have to deliver in class. The format of information needed is mostly audio-visual for teaching aids and materials for use in class to concretise abstract foreign geographical features and principles of geography to the learners, and print format for teachers’ personal use. The study found that the participants all have the main educator role of teaching geography. Consequently the scope of information needed covers geography content with more emphasis on physical geography sphere. The scope of information needs also covers pedagogy or teaching methods, classroom management, learners’ academic assessment and specific information pertaining to their social background, including information concerning youth and adolescence issues generally. It transpired that the participants also have administrative roles and tasks that require institution-specific information such as education policies, syllabus and curriculum documents, teaching regulations, national examinations and education legal frameworks. The results of the study also reveal that teachers have a social responsibility and caregiving role in respect of orphans whose numbers are increasing owing to the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS in Lesotho. Fulfilling this role requires information on social assistance for orphans and vulnerable children. Findings on the teachers’ information-seeking patterns include preferences for information sources and the order of consulting such sources. In this study, teachers’ preferred order of information sources is the syllabus, then the learners’ prescribed textbooks, their own collection of books and then colleagues who are also geography teachers in their schools and professional associations, science, agriculture and development studies teachers. Teachers’ age and the geographic location of schools seem to have an influence on information-seeking patterns, given that younger novice teachers always start with the syllabus, while older teachers with longer teaching experience indicated that they do not consult the syllabus that much. Other marginal differences between the participants are that while younger teachers in urban schools reported occasional use of the internet, older teachers mostly consult their colleagues in other schools, as they seem to have well-established social networks. Teachers in the rural schools use the people in their communities, such as farmers and miners, as information sources. Libraries are hardly used because they are reported to be stocked with outdated books that bear no relevance to a current understanding of geography. The school libraries were reported to be staffed by incompetent people who are unable to assist with addressing the teachers’ information needs. It was evident that journals are lacking in schools and the teachers have limited means of keeping abreast with the latest developments in geography education other than through media such as television, radio and newspapers. In terms of preferences for information sources and order of use, it is evident that teachers begin with the syllabus, which is a national framework guiding teaching and learning, moving on to internal and external information sources such as book collections, with a preference for colleagues specialising in disciplines such as geography, agriculture and natural sciences and development studies. This is followed by selective use of the internet as a global information source by younger teachers in urban areas. In satisfying information needs, teachers in rural schools also reach out to community members, such as farmers and miners. Popular media such as television, radio and newspapers compensate for lack of journals and other current literature possibly existing in well-functioning libraries. In seeking information, communication channels used to access information are also important and had to be considered in this study. The study found that secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho use face-to-face communication as well as telephone/cell-phone calls, including Short Message System (SMS), for communication. The internet was recommended by 100% of the participants as one of the ways that could improve information service to these teachers. The internet is regarded as the key source to provide current and varied information, even though at the time of the study it was mostly used only by younger teachers in the urban areas. Communication channels preferred by secondary level geography teachers need to be noted, as they can shed light on how to communicate information to these teachers. Based on the findings, the study proposes an information service model for secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho. The model is based on the information needs and information-seeking patterns of these teachers, including their preferred information sources and order of use, as well as communication channels. The model also considers, in its design, the prevailing poverty and limited resources in Lesotho to ensure that it is realistic and achievable. The model outlines its implementation strategies, as well as strategies to evaluate the proposed information service. The study concludes by making recommendations concerning the modalities for addressing the information needs of secondary level geography teachers in Lesotho, the most important being that the teachers have access to information that is current and relevant to their teaching, disseminated in their preferred format and communicated through their preferred channels. Following the findings on information needs and information-seeking patterns, including the expressed need for internet, the study also recommends strategies on how these teachers may access the internet.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Information Science
unrestricted
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Starkey, Alysia. "Kansas academic librarian perceptions of information literacy professional development needs." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/3856.
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Fung, Ching-kwong, and 馮正光. "Information needs in family services in the Social Welfare Department." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1992. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B42128377.
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Chan, Wai-yan, and 陳慧茵. "An exploratory study on fulfilling information needs of vocational training." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10722/209542.
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The purpose of this study is to propose a framework on career information management and guidance system for supporting career decision making of individuals through providing relevant career information and recommending suitable training courses based on ones’ personal particulars. Mixed research method is employed and both quantitative and qualitative surveys were conducted to collect user requirements and opinions with regard to the difficulties in locating relevant career information. Five interviews with purposefully selected training institutions in Hong Kong were conducted to explore the system requirements for career planning and guidance in particular for on-the-job training and retraining. On the other hand, 25 completed questionnaires from the workforce were collected with regard to their career information needs, as well as their perception on career information management and guidance system. The findings showed that the degrees of subject knowledge and ages of the users affect their information seeking behaviours and thus the requirements of the system. Although figures show that there might be a negative relationship between household income levels and training decisions, this relationship is not statistically significant.
Furthermore, three underlying factors affecting individuals’ career decisions had been identified. They are (i) opinions from others; (ii) personalities, affections andabilities; and (iii) career plan and resources. The four factors influencing trainingdecisions are: (i) information perceived; (ii) physical constraints; (iii) affections; and (iv) resources. Based on the survey results, a framework of Career Information Management and Guidance System (CIMGS) backboned with Information Feeding (IF) model was proposed. The findings of this study will provide an insight to researchers on the application of information and communication technology such as social media tools and vocational guidance services on an internet-based self-administered career information management and guidance system.published_or_final_version
Library and Information Management
Master
Master of Science in Library and Information Management
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Pinto, Erica S. "The information needs of finance executives in the hospitality industry." Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/101317.
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This exploratory and descriptive study examined the information needs, sources and uses of Chief Financial Officers in the Hospitality Industry, for strategic capital investment decision making. The amount of environmental scanning currently being conducted for use in the strategic capital investment decision making process was also investigated.
A survey questionnaire was used to gather information from 200 Chief Financial Officers. 46 questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate of 23.00%. Content analysis and statistical analysis were used to analyze the the data collected.
Content analysis of publications cited was used to identify which areas of the environment were emphasized as most important to Chief Financial Officers for strategic capital investment decision making. The economic sector clearly dominated the literature, though there does appear to be a need for more adequate information concerning all segments of the external environment (Social, Technological, Political, and Economic).
Finance executives were found to rely much more on external documentary sources of strategic information, than on internal or personal sources. Newspapers and trade journals were perceived to be the most important sources of external strategic information, and were also the most frequently cited sources.
Based on the results of the statistical analysis conducted, there is a relationship between the size and complexity of an organization, and the amount of information needed by decision makers in the organization. In organizations without an environmental scanning function, it was found that the marketing and research & development functions were more involved in environmental scanning; and in organizations with neither an environmental scanning nor a research & development function, the accounting function was more involved in environmental scanning.M.S.
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Fung, Ching-kwong. "Information needs in family services in the Social Welfare Department." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 1992. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B42128377.
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Kerkham, Andrew Summers. "The information needs of lecturers at the Cape Technikon and the ability of the Technikon Library to meet those needs." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16390.
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Although the precursors of the South African technikons date back almost one hundred years, they became post-secondary institutions as recently as 1967. Their libraries have therefore had to be upgraded recently to meet the required educational level. With the technikon movement being so young, there has been little formal investigation of the information needs of the libraries' users. An investigation was therefore conducted into the information needs of lecturers at the Cape Technikon and the ability of the Library to meet those needs. The literature was examined and models formulated to clarify the concepts involved in (a) information and its communication, (b) users and their information needs, and (c) the evaluation of library services in their attempts to meet those needs. Previous studies were also examined to determine what variables should be examined. Various methodologies for an empirical investigation were considered; the survey method was chosen as most appropriate, and a questionnaire was developed to elicit lecturers' self assessment of the importance of specified information needs and their opinion of the Library's ability to meet those needs. Weighted average and percentage proportions were calculated and were used in producing tabulations of the data, profiles line graphs, histograms and pie charts. The data were then examined for inter-relationships; the results were compared with the results of previous surveys, and conclusions were drawn. The chief findings were that (a) discipline and work activity were the most important independent variables to influence information need; (b) work activity was determined largely by the need for technikon lecturers to change their subject fairly frequently, and by the low level of research at the time of the investigation; (c) the Library was an important source of information to the lecturers, and they were generally satisfied with the Library's services; (d) citation services were being under-utilised; (e) the Library proved to be inadequate in providing for a strong demand for monographs and for very recently published literature, in providing sufficient work and study space, and in providing adequate resources for research purposes. As a result the following recommendations were made: (a) the Library should provide a comprehensive literature searching and current awareness service for the many lecturers who were having to prepare lectures in new subject areas; (b) because of the importance of the Library to lecturers, it must be adequately staffed and financed; (c) attention must be given to the Library's ability to provide recently published literature, which may necessitate a reconsideration of the current collection development pol icy; (d) research must be encouraged, and the Library upgraded to provide the necessary resources for research.
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Al-Dousari, Elham. "Information needs and information seeking behaviour of doctors in Kuwait government hospitals : an Exploratory study." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2009. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/9786.
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In recent years, there has been an increasing demand to study the information needs and information-seeking behaviour of doctors as an essential element in developing successful clinical information systems and improving the quality of healthcare services. This doctoral thesis focuses on exploring the information needs and information seeking behaviour of doctors in Kuwait government hospitals (KGH). The aims are to investigate the internal and external information sources used by doctors in Kuwait government hospitals and to analyse whether the existing clinical information sources meet their needs. A strategy of sequential, mixed-method procedures was followed to gather the research data using focus groups, a paper-based questionnaire and semi-structured telephone interviews. The participants of the research included all categories of doctors (consultants, senior specialists, specialists, senior registrar, registrar, assistant registrar and trainees), working in four government hospitals: Mubarak AI Kabeer, AI Sabaha, AI Farwania and AI Amiri in Kuwait. The findings of the study show that the most frequently mentioned need for information was to keep up-to-date to maintain good practice. It was found that interpersonal communication and a doctor's personal collection, consisting primarily of electronic resources, were the sources most frequently reported as used by the doctors. However, the degree of use of clinical information sources showed that doctors' information seeking varied depending on the clinical scenario. Doctors' knowledge and patient data were the doctors' most frequently used sources of information in the three clinical scenarios: outpatients, wards and the emergency department. There was a low use of knowledge-support resources such as the Internet and library resources in the outpatient and emergency rooms. However, use of the knowledge-support resources was highest in the wards. The results showed some contextual factors either supported or hindered doctors in seeking the information they need. The factors were categorised in the following contexts: a) Organisation context, b) Socio-cultural context; c) Information sources context and d) Scenarios context. Doctors made a number of suggestions for effective information communication and improving the information provision system in KGH. Two conceptual models result from the study findings: a clinical decision-making model scenario· and the overall conceptual model of information seeking by doctors in Kuwait government hospitals. The thesis concludes with recommendations and practical implications to enhance the information provision in KGH. Suggestions for further research are also given.
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Plovnick, Robert M. (Robert Matthew) 1976. "Health information on the Internet : strategies for assessing consumer needs and improving consumer information retrieval." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28591.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-70).
Patients and their family members are increasingly turning to the Internet for health information. However, the search strategies consumers are using to obtain information are often unsuccessful. Since some patients are using the information they obtain to influence health decisions, it is increasingly important to identify strategies that aid consumer access to quality information to address their needs. Three different strategies to improve consumer health information retrieval are explored in this thesis, and suggestions for the application of these tactics and incorporation into healthcare delivery are discussed. Consumers have the option to choose between medically specific web sites and generic search engines with the whole Internet as their search space. For this project, a rigorous comparison of Internet searches in these two scopes was conducted to determine which search scope provides better returns. No statistical difference was found between the two different scopes, but several pros and cons of each were identified. Queries generated by consumers to initiate a free-text Internet search are often too short or too general to be effective. Additionally, consumers often employ vocabulary that does not match the terminology of health content. For this research, reformulation of original consumer queries using professional terminology was explored. A trend was noted towards increased search precision when substitutions were provided for lay terms, abbreviations, and acronyms, though performance often worsened when reformulated queries contained ill-fitted or arcane terminology. It is essential to study information needs to devise strategies to support consumer health information retrieval. The specific needs of asthma patients
(cont.) and the extent they can be met by Internet resources are the focus of the final chapter of this thesis. To ascertain their information needs, asthma patients were interviewed before and after a clinical visit. The answers to these needs were then sought in a website limited to quality asthma content. Though many of the questions are answered during a clinical visit, a large proportion of patients leave the clinic with unanswered questions. Half of the needs expressed by patients were answered by the website.
by Robert M. Plovnick.
S.M.
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Monkman, Helen. "Consumer medication information: memory, perceptions, preferences, and information needs." Thesis, 2018. https://dspace.library.uvic.ca//handle/1828/10431.
Full textAbstract:
INTRODUCTION: Electronic health resources are becoming prevalent. However, consumer health information is still predominantly text based. Relying on text alone to deliver health information may not be the most effective way to promote learning or sufficient to meet consumer needs.
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed a) whether adding images to text and/or replacing text with narration influenced memory for Consumer Medication Information (CMI), b) if participants perceived CMI formats differently in terms of comprehensibility, utility, or design quality, and if they preferred one format overall c) what participants’ information needs were with respect to CMI.
METHODS: Participants’ (N = 36) remembered CMI presented in three formats: 1) Text, 2) Text + Images, and 3) Narration + Images. Additionally, participants rated the three CMI formats in terms of comprehensibility, utility, design quality and overall preference. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate participants’ opinions and preferences regarding the CMI formats, as well as their experiences with CMI and information needs.
RESULTS: No significant differences in memory were observed, F(2, 70) = 0.1, p = 0.901. Thus, this study did not find evidence that Mayer’s (2001) multimedia or modality principles apply to CMI. Despite the absence of effects on memory, CMI format impacted perceptions of the material. Participants rated the Text + Images format highest in terms of comprehensibility, X2(2) = 26.5, p < .001 and design quality, X2(2) = 35.69, p < .001. However, after correcting for multiple comparisons, no significant differences in utility ratings between the three formats were observed, X2(2) = 8.21, p < .016. Further, overall preferences revealed that the most participants’ chose the Text + Images format as their favourite (n = 27, 75%) and Text as their least favourite (n = 23, 63.8%). Directed and conventional content analysis were used to explore participants’ CMI preferences and information needs. Various aspects related to provision, comprehensibility, utility, and design quality all appeared to affect perceptions of CMI and whether or not participants used or would use it. Results of this analysis, paired with evidence from other studies, were used to develop a model proposing factors that influence CMI use.
CONCLUSION: This study investigated the potential impact of design and distribution changes on perceptions of CMI. Despite the lack of differences in memory, participants’ perceptions of the formats differed. Findings from this study could be used to inform future research on how CMI could be designed to better suit the needs of consumers and potentially increase the likelihood it is used.Graduate
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Peng, Hsin-chieh, and 彭心潔. "Information Needs Assessment for Cancer Patients." Thesis, 2012. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/sb7q2s.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立臺灣科技大學
科技管理所
100
The purpose of this study is to find out “Information Needs for Cancer Patients”. By designing a semi-structure questionnaire to individually face to face interview with 13 cancer patients for this study, the whole 13 interviews is recorded on the digital file in order to minute word by word. Accordingly, the grounded theory as qualitative study approach is employed to build up a theory from our context. From this study it is shown that no matter what attitude of patients (active or passive), they all want to acquire the right and full information. With being different stages of treatment, patients still need lots of information needs but different parts. During treatment stage patients want the most is as to treatment and how to maintain/promote physical health to avoid recurrence; during the post-treatment stage they want the most is as for how to maintain/promote physical health to avoid recurrence and intangible supports. Moreover, the post-treatment patients brought out that having family supports is a big matter during having a therapy. On the other hand, it shows that the stage of treatment and post-treatment patients want the information the most is how to intake the knowledge of nutritional foods. Above all, it is difficult for them to acquire it. Due to not well physician-patients relationship and insignificant professional medical knowledge, patients can not distinguish what information is right or wrong. This study concludes that it is necessary for medical team and caregivers to be educated on better information needs giving training. With well-educated, it can help doctor-patients relationship. Also, another suggestion is to build a reliable channel between patients and hospital. Above two advices, hoping can be able to give a great assistance to all cancer patients who are in all stage of diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment in the future. This is a very useful and important for them. Not only it can reduce the anxiety of patients and comfort their moods. Meanwhile, it can gain a trust in satisfaction.
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Blanchard, Julian. "Information needs and rights of shareholders." Thesis, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/19521.
Full textAbstract:
Bibliography: p. 1-23.295, 23 p. ; 30 cm.
Thesis commences by grappling with the fundamental issues of knowledge, information and communication. The author develops fundamental definitions of each of these. In particular the author defines communication as the endeavour of passing knowledge by information from one person to another. This definition is purposive and therefore requires a focus on the nature of the relationship between speaker and audience and in particular the information needs of the audience. Translated to the corporate context the respective roles of directors and shareholders are deconstructed in order to determine shareholders' information needs. At the stage shareholders should be regarded as monitors and investors.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Law, 1999
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Ching, Lee Ming, and 李明昌. "Baby Boomers Health Information Needs and Information Seeking Behavior Research." Thesis, 2015. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9r9wd3.
Full textAbstract:
碩士實踐大學
家庭研究與兒童發展學系高齡家庭服務事業碩士在職專班
103
This research aims to understand the needs of baby boomers for health information and how they seek related health information. The subjects are selected within Taipei City and New Taipei City，with age range from 50 to 68. This study used questionnaires to collect data, a total of 390 questionaires were given out, and participants were selected by quota sampling. The results of regression analysis indicated that: "married", "health faith", "health and disease prevention information," "drug information" and "media pipeline" were all important factors affecting their health decisions. The study suggests information resources that are highly trusted by baby boomers (such as medical personnel, TV, health books, health magazines and manuals) may provide the health information they need to form a correct concept of health, and to influence individual health decisions. Key words: health information needs, health information seeking behavior, health decisions