Information seeking behavior of occupational health nurses. How nurses keep current with health information.

A questionnaire designed to study the information seeking behavior of professional nurses was mailed to 600 occupational health nurses who work and reside in New York State. A 28% response rate (165 usable replies) was obtained. Results indicated respondents most need to know about government regulations relating to health care, new developments in their area of specialization, drug information, and the psychological aspects of disease. The respondents most frequently looked to peers and colleagues in their agency, personal files and books, and professional organizations as important sources of information. Whereas respondents were less apt to rely on the Internet, MEDLINE, or the hospital library as sources of information used for professional purposes, 38.8% did report they frequently used the Internet to seek health related information. Also, the majority of respondents (65%) indicated interest in continuing education, if it were available, in using the Internet to access health related information. The present study suggests professional nursing organizations have an opportunity to meet members' needs by expediting members' efforts to access and evaluate information using emerging information technologies.