Table 7

Table 7

1. Use of electronic journals, online databases and search engines


How often do you search the following databases/use the following sources of information?


1. Never


2. Seldom (1–7 times per term)


3. Quite often (2–7 times per month)


4. very often (2+ times per week)


MEDLINE (PubMed or OVID) for study purposes
0 1 2 3

MEDLINE (PubMed or OVID) for research
0 1 2 3

The EBM and other clinical databases of the 'Terveysportti' portal
0 1 2 3

Other medical databases (e.g. Cochrane library)
0 1 2 3

Electronic medical handbooks in the medical library
0 1 2 3

Full-text journal articles online
0 1 2 3

Search the Web for professional medical information
0 1 2 3

2. Computer literacy and seach skills


Rate your proficiency in general computing skills and information-searching skills


0. have not used the application


0. don't know how to use it


1. some elementary skills


2. I can use, but would learn more


3. my skills are OK


General computing skills


Basic use of Windows
0 0 1 2 3

Advanced Web browsing
0 0 1 2 3

Advanced use of printers
0 0 1 2 3

Advanced word processing
0 0 1 2 3

Presentation graphics (PowerPoint)
0 0 1 2 3

Use of spreadsheet (Excel)
0 0 1 2 3

Statistical software
0 0 1 2 3

Information searching skills


Searching MEDLINE (OWG/Ovid)
0 0 1 2 3

Searching MEDLINE (PubMed)
0 0 1 2 3

Use of EBM databases of 'Terveysportti' portal
0 0 1 2 3

Use of Cochrane library
0 0 1 2 3

Use of full-text articles
0 0 1 2 3

Use of electronic textbooks
0 0 1 2 3

Use of students' digital learning material deposit
0 0 1 2 3

Advanced use of WWW search engines to obtain
0 0 1 2 3

professional medical information


3. Improvement of computing skills


Which training programs you would like to participate in for improving your skills?


Use of electronic textbooks
yes
no
Use of electronic full-text articles
yes
no
Library's news alert for novel scientific publications
yes
no
Web of Science -citation database
yes
no
RefWorks for managing references
yes
no
SPSS software
yes
no
Advanced use of PDF documents (reading, filing, printing)
yes
no
Advanced home use of licensed scientific databases
yes
no

1 Scales were divided in tertiles separately for medical and dental students (lowest/intermediate/highest level)

Romanov and Aarnio BMC Medical Education 2006 6:28   doi:10.1186/1472-6920-6-28