An evaluation of unmediated versus mediated retrieval services.

To understand if unmediated services could serve the data retrieval needs for the Mayo research investigator, a study was conducted to determine researcher interest, ability, and outcome of using a clinical data retrieval system. The results indicate about 25% of the research investigators would use a self-service retrieval tool. However, there is clear evidence a majority of the research investigators are satisfied with and prefer the mediated service because of convenience, retrieval specialist knowledge, and lack of time to perform the search themselves. Approximately 61% of the non-participants indicated they would be willing to pay a fee for continued use of the mediated service. This study confirms the interest in self-service retrieval tools, but the actual interest is lower than anticipated. The recommendation is to continue the use of mediated services and to offer self-service methods as needed, allowing the most options to the research investigator.