INFORMATION NEEDS OF MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCHERS IN SELECTED HOSPITALS IN MAIDUGURI METROPOLIS, BORNO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study determined “Information Needs of Medical Practitioners for Agricultural Researchers in Selected Hospitals in Maiduguri Metropolis, Borno State, Nigeria”.  The study sought to determine the information needs of Medical Practitioners; information resources available to Medical Practitioners and challenges of Medical Practitioners in the process of seeking for information in Maiduguri Metropolis Borno State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was used and the entire populations of 120 Medical Practitioners under study were used. This is in line with Gall and Borg (2007) that the whole population should be studied when the entire size of the population is small and manageable .Questionnaire was used as research instrument. Date collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency count and percentage scores. Results were presented in tables. Findings revealed that specific medical information top the list of other information needs; most of the information resources were not available to Medical Practitioners and they were faced with a lot of challenges in the process of seeking for information. The study recommended that there should be more supply of information resources such as electronic resources, internet, cable satellite, audio/visual material e.t.c that will meet the information needs of Medical Practitioner; the hospital management should make sure that the various information resources are made available and they should also allocate enough funds for provisions of information resources.