HSI FLOW, INFORMATION GROUND, AND HEALTH AND MEDICAL SERVICES IN THE

CONTEXT OF HUMAN INFORMATION BEHAVIOR

When it comes to understanding how informati on is shared within a certain fi eld of human informati on behavior, one must examine the context in which people are accessing that informati on.

In the case of health and medical related human informati on behavior, informati on is general ly acquired in health or medical ly connected setti ngs such as a doctor ’s offi ce or a hospital.

In her study, “Waiti ng for chiropody: contextual results from an ethnographic study of the informati on behaviour among att endees at community cl inics,” Karen Petti grew demonstrates how four contextual factors aff ect the acquisiti on of human services informati on (or HSI) in a community cl inic for seniors awaiti ng foot care.: the physical environment, the acti viti es of the cl inic, the situati on of the cl inic nurses, and the situati on of the seniors seeking care.

INTRODUCTION

Petti grew off ered Granovett er ’s social network theory as an explanati on of the interacti ons between the nurses and the seniors in the study.

According to Granovett er ’s social network theory, “any individual’s network is composed of relati onships that can be described as weak ti es (e.g. acquaintances and distant friends) or as strong ti es (e.g. close family and friends)” (803).

Petti grew hypothesizes that although nurses would be considered weak ti es in a senior ’s social network, they provide them with informati on they could not obtain through their strong ti es (family). However, a senior ’s strong ti es are sti ll very important because seniors rarely act on this informati on without consulti ng their family fi rst.

SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY

HSI (HUMAN SERVICES

INFORMATION)

What is HSI?

Prior to the study, HSI was identified as being “disseminated when someone was informed about the nature or availability of a program or service that could help that person deal with a problem(s) associated with daily living” (809-810).

HSI (Human Services Information)

Under this defi nition, HSI happens when :

One person physically communicates with another

The person offering the HSI believes it will change how the person listening will think about the problem for which the information is being given.

HSI (Human Services Information)

Petti grew observed four contextual factors affecting HSI flow in the study:

1. Physical environment2. Clinic Activity3. The Nurse’s Situation4. The Senior’s Situation

HSI (Human Services Information)

1. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

Includes such factors as…

The type of building in which the clinic was located

The room where the clinic took place

The general layout of the clinic

The day ’s weather

How did this aff ect HSI?

Became a feature in senior/nurse conversati ons

Discussions about the weather led to recommendati ons for snow removal services

Curtains which enclosed seniors during foot treatment sessions moti vated them to talk with the nurses about more personal topics

THE 4 CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AFFECTING HSI

2. CLINIC ACTIVITY

Includes such factors as…

Atmosphere within the clinicWaiti ng ti me for treatmentsLength of ti me the clinic

lasted

How did this aff ect HSI?

Group conversati ons oft en occurred in many diff erent varieti es between the seniors and nurses.

HSI fl owed in many diff erent directi ons

Seniors became a source of HSI for nurses

THE 4 CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AFFECTING HSI

3. THE NURSE’S SITUATION

Includes such factors as:

Their years of experience as a nurse

Their knowledge of local resources

Their knowledge of the senior ’s situati on

How busy she/he was Her/his professional views as

a nurse

How did this aff ect HSI?

Nurse off ers informati on she/he thinks will be helpful to a senior, but might think of or discover a bett er alternati ve later on

Busy conditi ons at clinic may cause her/him to become unfocused, or not follow through on a conversati on

THE 4 CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AFFECTING HSI

4. THE SENIOR’S SITUATION

Includes such factors as:

Their personal circumstances Their desire to interact

How did this aff ect HSI?

Senior engages nurse in a conversati on as a means of sati sfying their HSI need

Varying percepti ons of a senior ’s situati on between the senior and the nurse could result in a mismatch of HSI

THE 4 CONTEXTUAL FACTORS AFFECTING HSI

HSI is a discourse phenomenon that occurs during social interacti on among two or more people

HSI is dynamic in nature in that individuals both give and receive HSI

HSI is a complex phenomenon because nurses employ strategies to ‘work up’ a referral while seniors use verbal and physical indicators to express their degree of interest in a referral

HSI is multi plex because a senior ’s needs may be separate from the one they were initi ally searching for, but could be met through the nurse’s referral making

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM STUDY

HSI was redefined as “A communicative construct involving the nature or availability of local services and programs that is produced in a social community-based context” (811).

CONCLUSIONS DRAWN FROM STUDY

INFORMATION GROUND

What is “Information Ground”?

“…an environment temporarily created by the behavior of people who have come together to perform a given task, but from which emerges a social atmosphere that fosters spontaneous and serendipitous sharing of information” (Petti grew 811).

INFORMATION GROUND

How does the clinic qualify as an informati on ground?

The informati on-exchange process is similar to formal informati on setti ngs such as l ibraries and community centers in that HSI need is presented indirectly, but none of the seniors approach the nurses with specifi c questi ons like “Where can I fi nd X?”

Informati on emerges though small talk and chit-chat about l ife in general

Small talk is occasionally used as a segue for questi oning nurses about their knowledge of an area in which the senior might be experiencing diffi culty

Info about local sources is shared serendipitously without anyone expressing or necessarily having a need for that informati on

INFORMATION GROUND

“…Against a backdrop of multiple contextual factors, the clinic functions as a rich information ground because information is shared in multiple directions (i.e. anyone at the clinic can give or obtain HSI) and because HSI is shared both purposefully and serendipitously” (Petti grew 812).

INFORMATION GROUND

The informati on behavior exhibited by the nurses and seniors in this study illuminates how HSI may be aff ected in other community-type setti ngs

Similarly, understanding the concept of an informati on ground may help identi fy other places that may be classifi ed under this heading

CONCLUSION