Temporal search persistence, certainty, and source preference in dentistry: Results from the National Dental PBRN
Date
2022-05-17
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
PLOS ONE
Abstract
Objectives:
The primary goal of this paper was to investigate an old question in a new way: what are the search patterns that professionals demonstrate when faced with a specific knowledge gap?
Methods:
We examine data from a cascading survey question design that captures details about searching for information to answer a self-nominated clinical question from 1027 dental professionals enrolled in the National Dental Practice Based Research Network. Descriptive and conditional logistical regression analysis techniques were used.
Results:
61% of professionals in our sample choose informal sources of information, with only about 11% looking to formal peer reviewed evidence. The numbers of professionals turning to general internet searches is more than twice as high as any other information source other than professional colleagues. Dentists with advanced training and specialists are significantly more likely to consult peer-reviewed sources, and women in the sample were more likely than men to continue searching past a first source.
Conclusions:
Speed/availability of information may be just as, or in some cases, more important than credibility for professionals’ search behavior. Additionally, our findings suggest that more insights are needed into how various categories of professionals within a profession seek information differently.
Description
This article was originally published in PLOS ONE. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264913
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Citation
Isett, Kimberley R., Ameet M. Doshi, Simone Rosenblum, Warren Eller, Diana Hicks, Julia Melkers, and the National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group. “Temporal Search Persistence, Certainty, and Source Preference in Dentistry: Results from the National Dental PBRN.” Edited by Dragan Pamucar. PLOS ONE 17, no. 5 (May 17, 2022): e0264913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264913.