Information literacy skills in medical students.
Habilidades de alfabetização informacional em estudantes universitários
Abstract
According to the American Library Association, the student is an active creator of information, which is fundamental for the medical student in the application of evidence-based medicine and e-Health. This research aimed to examine the information literacy skills of medical students at a particular university. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using non-probability self-selection sampling. A questionnaire was administered to collect students' perceptions of their information literacy skills related to searching, managing, evaluating, and communicating information. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed, and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. A total of 170 students participated; 68.8% were women, and their ages ranged from 17 to 38 years. The domains with the lowest scores were information search and communication. Thirty percent of the students demonstrated information literacy skills. Being in the first semesters of medical school, being female, and not taking information literacy courses were associated with a lack of information search skills. Not taking information literacy courses was also associated with weaknesses in communicating information. It is concluded that training in information skills for university students is necessary to improve these skills.
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