Information-retrieval skills and use of online resources among the medical personnel of Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

The study investigated information-retrieval skills and use of online resources among medical personnel of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. It examined three objectives: the extent of doctors’ use of online resources, their information-retrieval skills, and the relationship between both variables. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 362 physicians, including consultants, registrars, medical officers, and house officers, from which 191 were sampled using the Krejcie and Morgan table. Simple random sampling was employed. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire entitled “Information Retrieval Skills and Use of Online resources among the medical Personnel Questionnaire (IRS UORMPQ)”, validated through expert review. Reliability was established via a pilot test with 30 physicians at Federal Medica. Centre, Asaba, yielding a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95. Data were collected within two weeks, with the support of trained research assistants. The collected data were analysed through the use of descriptive statistics (frequencies and means with decision benchmark set at 2.50) and Pearson’s correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed extensive use of online resources (aggregate mean = 3.51), particularly for clinical care (x̅= 3.75), improved practice (x̅= 3.70), and updating knowledge (x̅ = 3.71). The medical personnel also demonstrated strong retrieval skills (aggregate mean = 3.42), especially in evaluating resources (x̅= 3.60), downloading (x̅= 3.59), and determining recency (x̅ = 3.58). Skills in telemedicine (x̅ = 3.29) and patient-specific queries (x̅ = 3.14) were weaker. Correlation analysis (R = 0.526, R² = 0.276, F = 68.685, p < 0.05) revealed a significant positive relationship between retrieval skills and online resource use. The study concludes that medical personnel at FMC Yenagoa demonstrate high competence and usage of online resources but need capacity building in specialised areas. The study recommended sustained internet/database access, periodic training on telemedicine and search strategies, and integration of digital literacy into continuing medical education.