Developing A Framework Of Design Principles For An Online Learning Design To Support Doctors' Professional Information Literacy In Hospitals

The number of published medical papers has risen exponentially [1]. Doctors can only read a fraction of these papers. Hence, information literacy (IL), that is, knowing how to find, select, use and appraise academic papers, is essential for doctors. Yet, research shows that doctors have low levels of IL upon graduation [2]. Thus, there is a clear need to develop learning designs (LDs) tailored to hospital doctors. Online and blended learning are being increasingly developed to meet this need, but little is known regarding these educational methods and how they relate to face-to-face (F2F) education [3]. The aim of this paper is to develop a set of principles for an online LD to develop hospital doctors' IL. Methodologically, we base the design principles on findings from a comprehensive literature review of 17 studies and in-depth semi-structured interviews with hospital doctors and information specialists (ISs). The literature search was conducted in the Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science bibliographic databases and the database platform ProQuest for the period from January 1995 to February 2018. We also did a simple search in Google Scholar. A total of 164 unique references were assessed for eligibility, with 17 studies qualified for the review. The interviews involved three hospital doctors and three ISs from scientific health libraries. Recordings were transcribed and analysed using inductive coding [ 4]. The theoretical framework consisted of a combination of learning theory, information science and design thinking from a pragmatic viewpoint [5]. We combined stakeholder perceptions with findings in the literature and identified the following design principles: short and clearly defined learning objects, defined medical subject areas, dialogue, flexibility, free of charge and easy access and navigation. Stakeholders' needs were largely overlapping, but it is clear that ISs are key to individually unlocking the concept of IL for doctors. Thus, ISs need a conceptual framework using library didactics when engaging in online learning. The main finding is the need for a balanced approach that considers the complexity of IL. It is equally important to make clear distinctions between didactic and technological problems. Further research is needed to test the proposed design principles.