Abstract

The study investigated information seeking behaviour of physicians for improved patient care in University Teaching Hospitals in North Central Nigeria. To achieve the research objectives, the study sets to find out: information seeking behaviour of physicians for improved patient care in University Teaching Hospitals, in North-Central, Nigeria; determine the extent to which the medical library provides the needed information for physicians in University Teaching Hospitals, in North-Central, Nigeria; determine the extent to which physicians use the medical library in University Teaching Hospitals, in North-Central, Nigeria. Three research questions were formulated to serve as a guide to the study. A descriptive survey research design was used for the research. The population of the study consisted of eight hundred and fifty (850) physicians who work in the teaching hospitals were used for the study. Census sampling technique was employed. Data was collected through electronic questionnaire which was face validated by two experts in the Department of Library and Information Science and one from test and measurement unit of Science Education, University of Nigeria Nsukka. The data collected was analysed using percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that physicians prefer seeking information on the internet as compared with other sources. Also, it was revealed that physicians do not get information literacy skills training from the medical library. In addition, physicians do not use reference services in the medical library. Furthermore, it was revealed that physicians visit the medical library once in a while. Thus, the study recommended that library management should consider physicians behaviour in designing a good information system in the medical library.