Email this article 
,
Information-seeking behaviour of students at the Medan Polytechnic of Health Sciences
Abstract
Background: The massive availability of health information presents a significant risk of medical misinformation. Although previous studies have examined general information-seeking behaviour, limited attention has been given to how health vocational students adapt established information-seeking models under academic and clinical pressures. Purpose: This study aims to map, explore, and reconstruct the information-seeking behaviour of health vocational students using David Ellis’s Information Seeking Behaviour Model, integrated with Risk Awareness and Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). Methods: This qualitative descriptive study employed a case study design involving seven final-year Diploma III students representing seven study programmes at Poltekkes Kemenkes Medan. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews supported by non-participant observation for methodological triangulation and analysed using an interactive model of data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. Results: Students demonstrated pragmatic information-seeking tendencies by prioritising efficiency during the starting, chaining, browsing, and extracting stages while consistently omitting the monitoring stage. However, during verification, they applied rigorous data triangulation by comparing clinical information with authoritative guidelines from the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. When information was considered invalid, students returned to the browsing stage, demonstrating a non-linear feedback pattern. Conclusion: The findings indicate that health vocational students reconstruct Ellis’s traditional model through a dynamic pattern termed Pragmatic Adaptation. This pattern reflects Risk Awareness Information Behaviour (RAIB), in which students balance search efficiency with rigorous verification to support evidence-based practice and reduce the risk of misinformation.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Adhadina, Z. (2018). Perilaku penemuan informasi di kalangan mahasiswa Program Pendidikan Dokter Spesialis Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Airlangga - RSUD Dr. Soetomo Surabaya [Skripsi, Universitas Airlangga]. http://repository.unair.ac.id/id/eprint/70742
Almaidah, D. Y. (2019). Perilaku Penemuan Informasi Kesehatan Dikalangan Keluarga Pasien Penderita Skizofrenia di Kota Surabaya [Airlangga University]. http://repository.unair.ac.id/id/eprint/88479
Buchanan, S. (2026). The role of health information behaviour research for informing health communication: exploring and mapping connections and impact pathways. Journal of Documentation, 82(3), 640–656. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2025-0237
Du Toit, G. E., & Du Preez, M. (2026). Understanding information seeking in transition: How uncertainty influences first-generation students’ information seeking behaviour. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006261434178
Ellis, D. (1989). A behavioural approach to information retrieval system design. Journal of Documentation, 45(3), 171–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026843
Ellis, D., Cox, D., & Hall, K. (1993). A comparison of the information seeking patterns of researchers in the physical and social sciences. Journal of Documentation, 49(4), 356–369. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026919
Fadhli, R., Chang, S., & Mendoza, A. (2026). Comparing international students’ information behaviour research in global north and global south: a systematic review. Journal of Studies in International Education, 30(3), 357–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153251414854
Febriani, W. M. (2019). Gambaran perilaku pencarian pengobatan pada mahasiswa Fakultas Kesehatan Masyarakat Universitas Airlangga. Jurnal Promkes: The Indonesian Journal of Health Promotion and Health Education, 7(2), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.20473/jpk.V7.I2.2019.193-203
Folk, A. (2019). Reframing information literacy as academic cultural capital: A critical and equity-based foundation for practice, assessment, and scholarship. College & Research Libraries, 80(5), 658–673. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.80.5.658
Hicks, A. (2019). Mitigating risk: Mediating transition through the enactment of information literacy practices. Journal of Documentation, 75(5), 1190–1210. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-11-2018-0184
Hutapea, A. F., Ruslan, & Asnawi. (2021). Perilaku pencarian informasi melalui jurnal perpustakaan menggunakan Model Ellis. Jurnal Pustaka Ilmiah, 7(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.22373/adabiya.v23i1.8047
Julien, H., Gross, M., & Latham, D. (2018). Survey of information literacy instructional practices in U.S. academic libraries. College & Research Libraries, 79(2), 179–199. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.79.2.179
Kam, M. S., Yi, Y. J., & Choi, K.-S. (2026). Self-stigma and health information behaviour among dementia caregivers: Evidence from South Korea. Journal of Documentation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-11-2025-0334
Kementerian Kesehatan dan Kesejahteraan Sosial Republik Indonesia. (2001). Keputusan Menteri Kesehatan dan Kesejahteraan Sosial Republik Indonesia Nomor 298/MENKES-KESOS/SK/IV/2001 tentang Organisasi dan Tata Kerja Politeknik Kesehatan. Menteri Kesehatan dan Kesejahteraan Sosial. https://www.poltekkesjakarta3.ac.id/unduhan/unduh/96
Lathifah, I. C., & Dewi, A. O. P. (2021). Perilaku pencarian informasi ibu hamil pada kehamilan pertama di Kecamatan Tembalang Semarang dalam memenuhi kebutuhan informasi. Anuva: Jurnal Kajian Budaya, Perpustakaan, dan Informasi, 5(3), 401–416. https://doi.org/10.14710/anuva.5.3.401-416
Maharani, D., Khadijah, U., & Saepudin, E. (2024). Literasi kesehatan ibu dan anak kalangan ibu PKK masyarakat Kecamatan Payakumbuh Timur. Informatio: Journal of Library and Information Science, 4(2), 165-178. https://doi.org/10.24198/inf.v4i2.50765
Martzoukou, K., Fulton, C., Kostagiolas, P., & Lavranos, C. (2020). A study of higher education students’ self-perceived digital competences for learning and everyday life online participation. Journal of Documentation, 76(6), 1413–1458. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2020-0041
Morita, Y., & Saitoh, A. (2026). Active learning with peer‐to‐peer health communication in school health education and student behavior change: a scoping review. Journal of School Health, 96(8). https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.70188
Nakayama, K., Yonekura, Y., Danya, H., & Hagiwara, K. (2022). Associations between health literacy and information-evaluation and decision making skills in Japanese adults. BMC Public Health, 22, Article 1389. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13892-5
Pulungan, A. F., & Dalimunthe, M. (2018). Efektivitas inovasi layanan drive thru di Perpustakaan Politeknik Kesehatan Medan. Jurnal Ilmu Informasi, Perpustakaan, dan Kearsipan, 4(2), 536–541. https://doi.org/10.37985/jer.v4i2.183
Purwaningtyas, F., Dalimunte, M., & Dewi, S. (2024). Exploring adolescents’ digital information-seeking patterns and religious behavior. Jurnal Kajian Informasi & Perpustakaan, 12(2), 251–278. https://doi.org/10.24198/jkip.v12i2.58627
Rafi, M., JianMing, Z., & Ahmad, K. (2019). Technology integration for students’ information and digital literacy education in academic libraries. Information Discovery and Delivery, 47(4), 203–217. https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-07-2019-0049
Republik Indonesia. (1999). Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 60 Tahun 1999 tentang Pendidikan Tinggi. Sekretariat Negara. https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Details/54383
Salminen, T. J., & Marttunen, M. (2026). Student argumentation on health issues dealt with in online sources. Information and Learning Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-06-2025-0086
Shah, C. S., & Paul, A. (2020). Information seeking behaviour in online shopping. In S. K. Sharma, Y. K. Dwivedi, B. Metri, & N. P. Rana (Eds.), Re-imagining diffusion and adoption of information technology and systems (pp. 439–450). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64849-7_39
Sugiyono. (2019). Metode penelitian pendidikan: Pendekatan kuantitatif, kualitatif, R&D, dan penelitian pendidikan. Alfabeta.
Syahid, F., Damayani, N., & Rizal, E. (2024). Perilaku pencarian informasi miner cryptocurrency di grup Facebook Miner Indonesia. Informatio: Journal of Library and Information Science, 4(3), 217-230. https://doi.org/10.24198/inf.v4i3.57128
Ullah, T., Sheikh, A., & Ahmad, S. (2026). Understanding the urban women’s information needs and seeking behavior in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-05-2025-0335
Wang, D. (2026). Research on the dynamic prediction model of student behavior in the information management system of ideological and political education for student groups in colleges and universities. International Journal of Computer Information Systems and Industrial Management Applications, 18, 15. https://doi.org/10.70917/ijcisim-2026-0109
Wang, X., Xiong, Q., & Liu, C. (2025). Information behaviors on a social platform as a preparation for transition in the graduating student job-seeking context. Aslib Journal of Information Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-04-2025-0186
Wilson, T. D. (2026). Modelling the impact of generative artificial intelligence on information behaviour research. Journal of Documentation, 82(7), 376–395. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2026-0150
Yang, X., & Iyer, H. (2026). Nutrition information sharing and audience engagement on X during National Nutrition Month: An information behavior perspective. Journal of Documentation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2026-0197
Zhang, Y., & Cui, J. (2026). Satisficing behavior and bounded rationality among older adults engaging in online health information seeking (OHIS). Journal of Documentation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-11-2025-0343
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24198/inf.v6i3.71629
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Habibah Salsabila Addary, Franindya Purwaningtyas
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Informatio Indexed by:
2.png)
Editorial Office :
Library and Information Science Study Program, Building 3 Floor 2, Faculty of Communication Science, Universitas Padjadjaran
Jl. Raya Bandung Sumedang Km. 21 Jatinangor, Sumedang 45363
Principal Contact :
Phone : 08122184219
Email : [email protected]