The Informationist: A New Health Profession?

Editorials20 June 2000The Informationist: A New Health Profession?Frank Davidoff, MD and Valerie Florance, PhDFrank Davidoff, MD and Valerie Florance, PhDAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-132-12-200006200-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Physicians have always had a professional obligation to base their decisions on the best available information, an assumption now explicitly embodied in the concept of evidence-based medicine (1). For decades, when physicians wanted information from the published literature, they relied heavily on medical librarians or office assistants to do the searches. The advent of computer-based indexes such as MEDLINE promised to change all that by putting the basic information retrieval tools directly into physicians' hands. The disappointing reality, however, is that physicians still don't regularly search the medical literature themselves, nor do they ask for professional help in searching nearly ...References1. Davidoff F. In the teeth of the evidence: the curious case of evidence-based medicine. Mt Sinai J Med. 1999;66:75-83. MedlineGoogle Scholar2. Smith R. What clinical information do physicians need? BMJ. 1996;313:1062-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Ely JW, Osheroff JA, Ebell MH, Bergus GR, Levy BT, Chambliss ML, Evans ER. Analysis of questions asked by family physicians regarding patient care. BMJ. 1999;319:358-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Funk ME, Reid CA. Indexing consistency in MEDLINE. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1983;71:176-83. MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Purcell GP, Rennels GD, Shortliffe EH. Development and evaluation of a context-based document representation for searching the medical literature. International Journal on Digital Libraries. 1997;1:288-96. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. 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Google Scholar18. van Walraven C, Naylor CD. Do we know what inappropriate laboratory utilization is? A systematic review of laboratory clinical audits. JAMA. 1998;280:550-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar19. Crenner CW. Introduction of the blood pressure cuff into U.S. medical practice: technology and skilled practice. Ann Intern Med. 1998;128:488-93. LinkGoogle Scholar20. Clinical Evidence: A Compendium of the Best Available Evidence for Effective Health Care. London: BMJ; Issue 2, December 1999. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Frank Davidoff, MD; Valerie Florance, PhDAffiliations: Corresponding Author: Frank Davidoff, MD, American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Davidoff: American College of Physicians–American Society for Internal Medicine, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Dr. Florance: Association of American Medical Colleges, 2450 N Street NW, Room 419, Washington, DC 20037. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Informationist Deborah B. Root Jorgensen The Informationist Stephen Sandroni The Informationist Bruce Houghton and Eugene C. Rich The Informationist Michael J. 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A randomised controlled trialInformation Needs and Barriers to Accessing Electronic Information: Hospital-Based Physicians Compared to Primary Care PhysiciansTechnology MediatorHospital clinicians’ information behaviour and attitudes towards the ‘Clinical Informationist’: an Irish surveyEvaluating clinical librarian services: a systematic reviewThe Informatics Imperative in Veterinary Medicine: Collaboration across DisciplinesClinical librarians as facilitators of nurses’ evidence-based practiceThe Informationist: Ten Years LaterCompetency-based continuing professional developmentClinical Library Services: Outreach to Enhance Patient CareWelServe: The DBMS for Capturing and Tracking Welch Medical Library's Embedded Informationist Service Delivery at Johns Hopkins Medical InstitutionsA clinical librarian pilot project in psychiatryResearch Support in an Academic Medical CenterInformation Takeout and Delivery: A Case Study Exploring Different Library Service Delivery ModelsHealth Sciences Librarians in Academic Libraries: A Brief Review of Their Developing RoleBuilding PROMIS item banks: librarians as co-investigatorsEvaluation of a New Clinical Librarian ServiceKnowledge Workers, Librarians, and SafetyAnalysis of queries sent to PubMed at the point of care: Observation of search behaviour in a medical teaching hospitalDeveloping research capacity in health librarians: a review of the evidenceInformationist EducationDo bibliotecário médico ao informacionista: traços semânticos de seus perfis e competênciasInformationist programme in support of biomedical research: a programme description and preliminary findings of an evaluationKorean medical libraries and professional associations: changing services and rolesA Randomized Effectiveness Trial of a Clinical Informatics Consult Service: Impact on Evidence-based Decision-making and Knowledge ImplementationBuilding a statewide knowledge network for clinicians in intensive care units: Knowledge brokering and the NSW Intensive Care Coordination and Monitoring Unit (ICCMU)Education for information scienceThe potential role of ILS schools in educating medical informationists 1The perioperative librarian: luxury or necessity?Informationists or Information Specialists in Context (ISIC): six years after conceptionThe education and training needs of health librarians?the generalist versus specialist dilemmaIntegrating Knowledge-Based Resources into the Electronic Health RecordCollaborative information synthesis II: Recommendations for information systems to support synthesis activitiesWhat do clinicians want from us? 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Internal Medicine Rounds with a Clinical Medical LibrarianWhy emerging roles for health sciences librarians?Clinical medical librarian to clinical informationistBioterrorism alert: reference and literature support for the CDC Director’s Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) and investigative field teamsPhysicians' Internet information-seeking behaviorsWeb-Enabled Medicine: The Challenge of Ensuring Quality Information and CareUsing Clinical Vignette Assignments to Teach Medical InformaticsClinical librarianship: a systematic review of the literatureThe role of the information specialist in the systematic review process: a health information case studyIncorporating the views of obstetric clinicians in implementing evidence-supported labour and delivery suite ward rounds: a case studyCase Studies from Morning ReportOp zoek naar bewijs; een vraag- en antwoorddienst voor de huisartsFinding your place in the information age libraryPerson-centered approach to care, teaching, and research in fibromyalgia syndrome: Justification from biopsychosocial perspectives in populationsThe Impact of Medical Informatics on LibrarianshipClinical focus and patient management in the XXI century within the context of the advances in medicineKnowledge Resources: Finding Answers to Primary Care QuestionsAplicación de la gestión por procesos a las unidades De atención al usuarioA clinical librarian can support clinical governanceFrom Artisan To Architect: The Specialist And Systems Of Provision Of Diabetes Care In 2001Clinical Medical LibrariansThe InformationistDeborah B. Root Jorgensen, PharmD CandidateThe InformationistStephen Sandroni, MDThe InformationistBruce Houghton, MD and Eugene C. Rich, MDThe InformationistMichael J. Schott, MS, MLSProgress in Health Sciences Librarianship: 1970–2005The Development and Impact of Digital Library Funding in the United StatesUbiquitous Information Therapy Service through Social Networking LibrariesUbiquitous Information Therapy Service through Social Networking Libraries 20 June 2000Volume 132, Issue 12Page: 996-998KeywordsClinical epidemiologyGraduate medical educationHealth careHealth informaticsHealth information technologyInformation retrievalInformation technologyLibrariesPatientsTechnicians ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 20 June 2000 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2000 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...