ICT and Healthcare

Today internet revolves as a connecting link worldwide with loads of information and it has become a part and parcel of life. People in various fields have started to use the new media very frequently and most of them depend on it for many things and professionals in the field of medicine are not an exception. There are few studies conducted in India regarding Internet usage, but most of these studies are conducted on medical students, hospital management etc., but not on medical doctors. The main objective of this paper is to find out the internet usage among medical professionals. For this investigation the researchers selected medical doctors as samples from three categories such as government sectors, private sectors and doctors who own their own clinic. The result of the study reveals that there is significant result in usage of internet for various purposes among medical professionals.
Keywords: Internet, new media, medical professionals, online medical database, online medical journals.

Purpose -The paper aims to gain a detailed understanding of the current health library/information environment in Saudi Arabia, to identify problems, issues, and areas for improvement, to make recommendations for improvement, and to instantiate these in models and prototypes. Design/methodology/approach -A mixed method empirical approach is used in 11 health libraries, including literature survey, institutional profiling, questionnaire, interviews, non-participant observation, and examination of documents. A model for supporting change management in Saudi health libraries is proposed, and a prototype for a Saudi Health Information Network is developed. Findings -The healthcare libraries are well-used, and appreciated by their users, and the staff are generally satisfied with their work. Problems and issues are identified: use of information communication technologies and digital resources; lack of proactive information services; education, training and continuing professional development for health library work; limited strategic planning and policy for these services. Recommendations are made for improvements. Research limitations/implications -The empirical research is limited to health sciences libraries in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. The prototype health information network has not been evaluated by users. Practical implications -Recommendations are made to enable the government of Saudi Arabia and its various agencies to support improvements in the existing health sciences libraries and information provision. Originality/value -This is a detailed study of the health library environment in Saudi Arabia, illustrating factors typical of the situation in many other countries. The paper outlines a novel organisational change model and prototype national health information network.