Information-seeking Behavior and Computer Literacy Among Resident Doctors in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Background/objective: Resident doctors are key actors in patient management in all the federal training institutions in nigeria. Knowing the information-seeking behavior of this group of doctors and their level of computer knowledge would facilitate informed decision in providing them with the relevant sources of information as well as encouraging the practice of evidence-based medicine. This is to examine information-seeking behavior among resident doctors and analyze its relationship to computer ownership and literacy.

Materials And Methods: A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from the resident doctors in the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and the Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital (FNPH). The data fields requested included the biodata, major source of medical information, level of computer literacy, and computer ownership. Other questions included were their familiarity with basic computer operations as well as versatility on the use of the Internet and possession of an active e-mail address.

Results: Out of 109 questionnaires distributed 100 were returned (91.7% response rate). Seventy three of the 100 respondents use printed material as their major source of medical information. Ninety three of the respondents own a laptop, a desktop or both, while 7 have no computers. Ninety-four respondents are computer literate while 6 are computer illiterates. Seventy-five respondents have an e-mail address while 25 do not have e-mail address. Seventy-five search the Internet for information while 25 do not know how to use the Internet.

Conclusion: Despite the high computer ownership and literacy rate among resident doctors, the printed material remains their main source of medical information.