Do language fluency and other socioeconomic factors influence the use of PubMed and MedlinePlus?
Increased usage of MedlinePlus by Spanish-speakers was observed after introduction of MedlinePlus in Spanish. This probably reflects increased usage of MEDLINE and PubMed by those with greater fluency in the language in which it is presented; but this has never been demonstrated in English speakers. Evidence that lack of English fluency deters international healthcare personnel from using PubMed could support the use of multi-language search tools like Babel-MeSH.
Author(s): Sheets, L, Gavino, A, Callaghan, F, Fontelo, P
DOI: 10.4338/ACI-2013-01-RA-0006