Health Information Needs Of Medical Students

1.1 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Information plays a vital role in the social and economic development of every country. It is quite obvious that the quality and efficiency of output by any organization or institution is determined by the caliber of information existing in the organization. In view of this, it is necessary to define the major concepts used in this study and they include information, information needs and medical students.
Information is defined by the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English as “facts fold, heard or discovered”. Information is as important as the three basic necessities of life which are water, food and shelter. It should therefore be given enough priority in order to achieve what it is meant for. We should be aware that information needs of people varies. There is need for adequate attention and provision of health information to medical students. These attention and concern will be from the provision of those beneficial information which will enhance and also facilitate the growth and development of medicine and medical products. It will be meaningful to reach them through available means which will be quick and effective.
Eyitayo in his paper quoted the work of a great Philosopher, Benjamin Disreal who said “The most successful man is the one who has information”. This observation was made by Disreal a century ago, but it is very appropriate today as ordinary people in the community, rural dwellers, literate and non-literate struggle hard to keep ahead of others in progress. They need information to assist them in dealing with their day to day problems.
Information like money gives both economic and political power to the possessor of it. Power to achieve things take advantage of opportunities and to take control of people. It is therefore a prerequisite to the development and allocation of other resources. Thus, information is power as maintained by information scientist. The advance countries of the world today control the world economy and political power. America dominates in the world affairs because it has the information and power. The 3rd world countries today depend on the developed countries for food, technology and economically as well as for survival, this is to say that information is an important and powerful commodity in any human community.
According to Omoniwa, the informational aspect of library services is not that of propaganda but that of generating, collecting and disseminating up-to-date, accurate, unbiased and relevant information available in books, periodicals, bulletins, guides, abstracts, indexes, Bibliographies and non-book formats which can be stored and retrieve whenever needed.
From the above definitions, we can see that information is an essential part of our existence and can be exploited to improve the lot of society. Professionals in every field cannot function well or carry out their functions effectively if information is not made available to them. This also applies to medical students, who needs information and it can be made available to them through the provision of current and relevant materials that will serve their information needs. Since the medical students are advancing towards perfection in the sustenance and maintenance of human life, they need authentic and accurate information to perform effectively. Information on how new medical products, inventions like that of Dr. Abalaka who claims to have invented HIV cure could be made available to them.
Information is divided into two:
– Hard information which comes from reliable source and therefore useful and authentic. It is needed for decision making and national development. It is the type of information needed by medical students.
– Soft information which comes from grapevine. It is rumour or propaganda. Sometimes more damaging than useful.

INFORMATION NEEDS
According to Rawley and Turner, information needs is any piece of information, recorded as well as unrecorded that scholar may need, as distinct from want, demand, and use in connection with his study, teaching and research activities.
Every locality, group or individual needs information for survival. Medical students need it for their activities and in the advancement of knowledge. We should also be aware that the needs for information crises in every human endeavour, in business, education, health etc. and also that the information needs of people varies. The question now is in what areas do the medical students needs information and what ways are they going to pursue in order to resolve their information needs?
However, it is the responsibility of the library to identify the information needs of its target population. Invariably much of the information from research results in Nigeria disappear from view as they fail to filter down to the level where they could be put to good use, by the medical students. The library is placed in a better position to gather and collate the research results and other data back to medical a student that is through the library attached to medical institutions like of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu. It is necessary to point out those users and their needs must be understood in order to provide effective services to them by way of conducting a vigorous user survey.
To meet the users needs, it will require the librarians to know where information sources exist, which one can be reached and how new sources can be created and maintained. Since the medical students, researchers, lecturers, patients etc. it has to establish access to various information sources to enhance good services.
The job of the librarian is to interact with users to find out what they need or want to know and to provide them with relevant inbrmation needed. Medical students can be alarted of the information available in the library by operating a number of Current Awareness Services (CAS). A quarterly acquisition list can be issued, listing new materials acquired or new books displayed.
MEDICAL STUDENTS
Medical students has been defined by the World Book Encyclopedia (Vol 2) as “a person who studies or taught on courses that deals with healing and with science and practice of medicine”. Medical students can be found in Higher Institution: Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities.

1.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF INSTITUTION UNDER STUDY
IMO STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL (IMSUTH) ORLU
The need to establish a Teaching Hospital in Imo State became mandatory with the emergence of the first set of clinical students of the college of medicine of Imo State University in 2003. A law setting up the hospital was signed by His Excellency Chief Dr. Achike Udenwa, Executive Governor of Imo State. The University Teaching Hospital hereafter referred to as (IMSUTH), was commissioned on 30th of November, 2004 by His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Since establishment, the increasing awareness of the unique, specialist and specialized services rendered by IMSUTH are being felt all over Imo State and the adjoining states.
LOCATION OF THE HOSPITAL
IMSUTH is located at Orlu, Imo State about 35 Kilometers North of Owerri, the capital of Imo State. It is situated in a semi-urban area of the town.
CATCHMENT AREAS
The catchments areas of this hospital are Imo, Anambra, Rivers, and Abia State.
JUSTIFICATION FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF IMO STATE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL
The establishment of a Teaching Hospital in Imo State is a part of a long time approved Government Master Plan to provide a centre of Excellence for Healthcare, Training and Research. Owing to logistic and financial constraints, the programme had to be deferred and has only recently been actualized by the government of Chief Dr. Achike Udenwa, the Executive Governor of Imo State.
The need to establish this Teaching Hospital which is presently sited at Orlu about 35 Kilometers North of the capital city of Owerri has become most expenditure. Imo State has a population of over 3,500,000 and provide over 15% of the doctors in Nigeria and over 18% of students seeking placement in Universities through JAMB examination to read medicine. With the new dispensation of healthcare delivery in many local government in the state and the neigbouring states ,need has arisen for training more medical and paramedical staff and personnel who would be medically, technically and technologically competent to man these position. These trained personnel will work at the grassroots, staffing the healthcare centre responsible for primary healthcare with adequate paramedical support by nurses, other paramedical staff and technicians that will also be trained in the various aspects of Health Technology.
There are recent challenges and research in management of the various aspects of these challenges in the field of medicine is going on. This will help to alleviate the poor health status of our people particularly in the Rural Healthcare, Health Education and Hospital Equipment and in the areas of Aids, malaria etc and other prevalent killer diseases in both children and adult. Provision of necessary manpower to reach out to the grassroots will go a long way in poverty alleviation and provision of adequate healthcare as in this Teaching Hospital, which is a training institution attracts high quality staff. Thus will be of immense benefit to Imo State, the environs and the country in general, as it will help in research on particular health problems, in the state as well as offering opportunity of looking into the immediate local health problems of the people. A Teaching Hospital like Imo State University Teaching Hospital at Orlu builds in collaboration with local and international institutions and organization such as UNICEF, WHO, NGO etc which attract immense benefits to the staff interdisciplinary opportunities for research. The Teaching Hospital is unique as it is the first of its type in the state aimed at a well packaged and well balanced and combined training of Doctors, Nurses, Health scientists, Public Health specialists and Health Technologists at the same time and in the same place.
It is hoped that in future, the hospital will establish a Health Technology aspect that will develop a lot of methods and materials application to medicine locally so that we can produce doctors and health technologist who in future can produce, develop, fabricate and maintain various healthcare equipment and products saving the state and country a lot of foreign exchange and brain drain.
STATE OF THE HOSPITAL
IMSUTH is a befitting and excellent tertiary healthcare facility of international standard undertaking training of high level medical manpower and providing advanced with voice paging system. With its equipment, structure and layout, it is one of the most modern health facilities in the country.
PHILOSOPHY AND ASPIRATION OF IMSUTH
It shall be the objectives, philosophy and aspiration of IMSUTH to encourage the advancement of learning in Imo State of Nigerian in particular and Nigeria in general and to hold out to all peoples without distinction of race, creed or sex, the opportunity of acquiring medical and surgical treatment as well as higher medical education.
OBJECTIVE OF THE HOSPITAL MISSION OF IMSUTH
– To provide and promote high quality medical education and training making sure that the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) is relevant as a centre of Excellent for improvement of humanity.
– To equip, maintain and operate the hospital so as to provide facilities for diagnostic, curative, preventive and rehabilitative services in medical treatment.
VISION OF IMSUTH
The vision of IMSUTH is to create academic and professional environment that would help elevate the quality of life in Nigeria and humanity in general and Imo State in particular through teaching, research and community/public service. To achieve this vision, IMSUTH has set herself a various function.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Information is an essential ingredient in the life of medical students and they need up-to-date information to solve their daily problems.
– The medical library of IMSUTH are lacking necessary material that can be useful to medical students. And available ones may be obesolent.
– Materials in the medical library of IMSUTH in most cases is poorly arranged or organized and stored because of lack of a professional librarian. Another problem may be sources and ways which medical student obtains relevant information.

1.4 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY
This study is meant for every medical students especially that of Imo State University medical students in order to solve their day to day problems. It would also serve as materials to the researchers in the future and as a reference purposes.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
– What type of health does the medical students need?
– How do medical students obtain the health information?
What are the sources of health information used by medical students?
What factors account for their health information needs?
What problems do medical students in IMSUTH encounter in obtaining the health information they need?

1.6 AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
To analyze the health information needs of medical students in terms of;
– Purpose for which health information is needed by medical students.
– Means of obtaining the health information by medical students.
– Sources and types of health information needed by medical students.

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Considering the time, finance and response from the staff and students involved the study, the scope of this research is limited to health information needs of medical students of Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu.
TIME: Due to time constraints, this work should be limited to the assembled work of health information needs of medical students.
FINANCE: Because of lack of sufficient finance, the scope of this work would be narrowed.
RESPONDS: The staff and students of Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu itself has a great role to play in this study by responding to questionnaire, in other to collect the answers, all the questions were to be responded.
There is no limitations as to the sources of health information needs of medical students used for this study; books, non-books materials, Journals, internate, discussions were fruitfully utilized.

1.8 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS HEALTH
Health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of diseases or infirmity.
INFORMATION
Information is defined as “knowledge, intelligence, facts or data that can be used, transferred or communicated”. It may be derived from experience, observation, interaction and reading. It has basic qualities, availability, language or recognized representative and meaning.
HEALTH INFORMATION
Health information is the “discipline concerned with system processing of data in the healthcare environment with an emphasis on computer processing”.
INFORMATION NEEDS
Information needs is defined as “any piece of information, recorded as well as unrecorded that scholar, medical students, researchers etc may need as distinct from want, demand and use in connection with his study, teaching and research activities”.
MEDICAL STUDENTS
A medical student is defined as “a person who studies or taught on courses having to do with healing and with science and practice of medicine”.

1.9 METHODOLOGY
Researcher will use questionnaire method as its limitation, but it will be provide to be the best option for the research work. Thus, it will be easy to categories the questions and tabulated the result of the study. The method will help in the effective description of health inbrmation needs of medical students. A case study of Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUTH) Orlu.