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Use of MEDLINE by Rural Physicians in Washington State

University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington.

Corresdpondence and reprints: Stefan J. Chimoskey, MD, MM, 5222 17th Northeast, Seattle, WA 98105.e-mail: <stefanch{at}u.washington.edu >.

Received for publication: 12/11/98; accepted for publication: 02/10/99.

Studies have suggested that rural physicians do not use MEDLINE to aid their clinical decision making,^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6} and yet rural physicians appear to be a group that would benefit greatly from the use of MEDLINE because of their isolation from libraries and colleagues. This study was undertaken to understand why a population so likely to benefit from the use of MEDLINE is not using it.

The study confirmed that rural physicians regard colleagues, reference texts, and journal articles as the most important information sources. However, a surprising number of rural generalist physicians in Washington, 40 percent of respondents, use MEDLINE, and most possess the requisite awareness, resources, and ability to use MEDLINE. Of those who use MEDLINE, 70 percent consider it a valuable clinical tool.