Analysis of the use of MEDLARS in Mexico.

A statistical analysis of MEDLARS usage by Mexico's National Health Information and Documentation Center (CENIDS) is described. A total of 13,029 connect hours was registered during the period 1977-1986. MEDLINE was the MEDLARS database most frequently used, representing 82.83% of total use. Some 41,563 online searches, requested by 30,775 users, were performed by CENIDS' headquarters staff during this period. Findings from this study will be used to further research on information services in order to maximize the effectiveness of existing resources.