Work roles, tasks, and the information behavior of dentists

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects work roles (patient management/service provider, administrator/manager, researcher, educator, and student) and their associated tasks have on the choice of information sources used to meet private practice dentists' information needs. Additionally, the study investigated how the Internet has affected the information seeking of dentists. Using Leckie, Pettigrew, and Sylvain's (1996) model of the information seeking of professionals as the conceptual framework, vignette‐based, in‐depth interviews were conducted with 12 dentists in the metropolitan areas of Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett, Washington. Follow‐up interviews were used to investigate dentists' use of the Internet. Findings revealed that the type of work role‐related task significantly shapes dentists' choices of information sources; the Internet emerged as a significant information source because it provides up‐to‐date information in a convenient and timely manner; the Internet is a complement to traditional information sources, not a replacement for them; and the Leckie and associates (1996) general model of professional information seeking is supported by this study.