This study aims to explore health professional students’ information literacy (IL) skills. These skills are crucial for navigating complex information and making informed decisions in their university learning and clinical practices.
A mixed-method (quantitative and qualitative) approach was used. Data was collected through a self-administered online survey and semi-structured interviews from six constituent and affiliated colleges of Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB).
The findings revealed that health professional students exhibited moderate IL skills, with significant gaps in advanced search techniques and critical evaluation of information sources. Students rely on commercial platforms such as Google and YouTube for information retrieval and artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT to interpret complex information. Students use freely available medical databases such as PubMed but do not report the use of specialized healthcare databases such as CINAHL and Embase. Universities can address the gaps in student IL competencies through curriculum changes and IL interventions. Universities must prepare and incentivize faculty to deliver the mentorship that many students say they seek to help identify and evaluate information resources. Universities must recognize the AI use by students and develop policies that prepare students for the responsible and ethical use of AI tools.
This study contributed insights into the current status of IL among health professional students in a developing nation and identified ways that these students adapt to technologies and respond to digital information tools that will influence how they locate the best evidence and make informed clinical decisions.
