• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.266-280
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• 2013

Background: Information asymmetry between physicians and patients is one of the most unique characteristics of health care. But as consumerism spreads in health care sector, health care consumers are searching comparative information about quality and cost of providers from many information sources. Providing comparative information to health care consumers not only makes consumers choose hospital rationally, but also invigorates the health care market by providers' competition. However there are few studies regarding information searching behavior of health care consumers, then this study is carried out. Methods: The purpose of this study is to understand the information searching behavior of health care consumers based on their characteristics and the types of medical institutions. For this purpose, 313 spinal patients' data of 11 medical institutions (university hospital, spine specialized hospital, clinic) located in Seoul were collected by self-administered surveys. Results: The results of this study are as follows: 1) t-test/analysis of variance analysis showed that according to various characteristics of health care consumers and the types of medical institutions, the level of information searching of each source and the amount of information searching and searching outcomes are statistically different. 2) Regression analysis showed that influence on searching outcomes are statistically different according to the level of information searching of each source and searching content and the amount of information searching has positive effects on searching outcomes. Conclusion: The significance of this study is to provide empirical basis for establishment of health care policy reflecting information needs and preference of health care consumers.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.247-270
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• 2009

This paper reviews studies on information searching behavior in process control systems and discusses some implications learned from previous studies for use in human factors studies on nuclear power plants (NPPs) main control rooms (MCRs). Information searching behavior in NPPs depends on expectancy, value, salience, and effort. The first quantitative scanning model developed by Senders for instrument panel monitoring considered bandwidth (change rate) of instruments as a determining factor in scanning behavior. Senders' model was subsequently elaborated by other researchers to account for value in addition to bandwidth. There is also another type of model based on the operator's situation awareness (SA) which has been developed for NPP application. In these SA-based models, situation-event relations or rules on system dynamics are considered the most significant factor forming expectancy. From the review of previous studies it is recommended that, for NPP application, (1) a set of symptomatic information sources including both changed and unchanged symptoms should be considered along with bandwidth as determining factors governing information searching (or visual sampling) behavior; (2) both data-driven monitoring and knowledge-driven monitoring should be considered and balanced in a systematic way; (3) sound models describing mechanisms of cognitive activities during information searching tasks should be developed so as to bridge studies on information searching behavior and design improvement in HMI; (4) the attention-situation awareness (A-SA) modeling approach should be recognized as a promising approach to be examined further; and (5) information displays should be expected to have totally different characteristics in advanced control rooms. Hence much attention should be devoted to information searching behavior including human-machine interface (HMI) design and human cognitive processes.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.48-66
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to examine the user's online searching behavior in IR interfaces of e-journal database systems. The study is purely based on survey methods and tries to analyse the online searching behavior of respondents of social science disciplines who were doing research in three target central universities of Delhi (i.e. DU, JMI, and JNU). For measuring the responses of the respondents in IR interfaces of e-journal database systems, a total of 396 questionnaires were distributed among the students and out of all, 305 responses were used for the study. The findings of the study reveal that most of the students were not using all the facilities offered in IR interfaces of e-journal database systems for their retrieval process and also encourages menu based searches rather than command based searching.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.138-156
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of this study is 1) to understand the information-searching behavior of health care consumers ; 2) to examine the relationship between the information-searching behavior of health-care consumers and regulatory variables such as socioeconomic factors, characteristics of medical utilization, and perceived risks ; and 3) to determine the factors that affect consumer satisfaction, especially with respect to information-searching behavior. Method : The data for this study were collected from 838 respondents in five university hospital located in three areas?Seoul, Gyeonggi province, and Chungchong province. As the first step of the study, we conducted a preliminary survey from September 23?26, 2008. At the second step, we conducted a survey on the effect of information-searching behavior on those individuals who had visited. Furthermore, personal interviews were conducted through a face-to-face survey between September 30 and October 17, 2008. Results : The major research findings that were obtained from the study were as follows : First, the age, educational level, and residential district were associated with information source utilization. Second, the level of information searching effort and quality of service had a significant effect on consumer satisfaction. Conclusion : These results show that it is essential for marketers to have in-depth knowledge about the young and educated people who actively search for information and about those who are in the prime of their life and rely on word-of-mouth communication from personal and experi in-al informers. Therefore, marketers should develop different marketing strategies to meet the needs of such consumers.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.289-334
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• 2018

Even though information in many languages other than English is quickly increasing, English is still playing the role of the lingua franca and being accounted for the largest proportion on the web. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the key features and differences between "information searching behavior using mother tongue as a search language" and "information searching behavior using English as a search language" of users who are non-mother tongue speakers of English to acquire more diverse and abundant information. This study conducted the experiment on the web searching which is applied in concurrent think-aloud method to examine the information searching behavior and the cognitive process in Korean search and English search through the twenty-four undergraduate students at a private university in South Korea. Based on the qualitative data, this study applied the frequency analysis to web search pattern under search language. As a result, it is active, aggressive and independent information searching behavior in Korean search, while information searching behavior in English search is passive, submissive and dependent. In Korean search, the main features are the query formulation by extract and combine the terms from various sources such as users, tasks and system, the search range adjustment in diverse level, the smooth filtering of the item selection in search engine results pages, the exploration and comparison of many items and the browsing of the overall contents of web pages. Whereas, in English search, the main features are the query formulation by the terms principally extracted from task, the search range adjustment in limitative level, the item selection by rely on the relevance between the items such as categories or links, the repetitive exploring on same item, the browsing of partial contents of web pages and the frequent use of language support tools like dictionaries or translators.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.70-86
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• 2005

This study is a research on eating-out customer's behavior of inquiring information through the supporting research on the searching information behavior of the customers who visit family restaurants. The result was deduced that the types of eating-out customer's behavior of searching information were different to age, sex, education, incomes, etc., based on demographic analysis. In addition, this study investigated the satisfaction with information and the information types of eating-out customers with verification.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.129-143
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to investigate influences on wives' financial management behavior economic instability and coping behavior of urban household. Economic instability was constructed with an objective economic status and perceived economic instability. And, Financial management behaviors were constructed with four dimensions : investment, income/expenditure, risk, and debt management behavior. The subjects of this study were 225 housewives. Factor analysis, Cronbach ${\alpha}$, and multiple regression were performed for data analysis. The results show that, coping behaviors of searching and using information and perceived economic hardship related to debt influenced housewives' investment management behaviors. The coping behaviors of searching and using information, expending in the range of planned budget, using debt, perceived economic hardship related to debt, income insufficiency, and selective expenditure influenced the consumption-expenditure management behaviors. Perceived economic hardship related to essential expenditures and coping behaviors of searching and using information influenced the risk management behaviors. Coping behaviors of searching and using information, using debts and purchasing and using economically, and perceived economic hardship related to essentials influenced debt management behaviors.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.375-405
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• 2008

Recently, children's internet search engines are becoming the main method to access information. For those engines to function properly, search behavior of children as their searchers should be studied and the findings be applied to design and improve the systems. So an experiment was conducted and 22 3rd-grade elementary school students performed 3 searching tasks through 'Junior Naver' and 'Yahoo!꾸러기' which are representative children's search engines in Korea. Children's searching behavior was analyzed thoroughly through which the problems of children's search engines were diagnosed and recommendations were suggested to improve them.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.389-398
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• 2001

Objectives : To investigate the information searching behavior of health care consumers according to sociodemographic characteristics. Methods : A questionnaire survey was conducted of 1,507 persons who were selected through a multi-stage stratified area cluster sampling of the Republic of Korea, excluding the province of Jeiu-do. Personal were conducted through a door-to-door survey between 27 July and 10 August 1999. Results : 80.5% of respondents used more than one source of information and those $40\sim59$ years of age, female, a housewife or student and those who claimed a religion demonstrated more active information searching behavior. A personal informer was used significantly more in those $20\sim39$ years old, female, and those who claimed a religion. Clerical workers, those with post-secondary education and a monthly income greater than 2,000,000 won ($1500) were more actively used a public informer. Low socioeconomic status and older persons used an experimental informer when they chose a health care institution. Conclusion : Regardless of the sociodemographic characteristics, personal and experimental informers were the most useful source of information. Because appropriate information was not easy to obtain, the health care consumer was dependent upon word-of-mouth communication(personal informer) when using health care services.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.95-111
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the information searching behavior of consumer by type of medical institution. A questionnaire survey was conducted of 1,507 persons who were selected through a multi-stage stratified area cluster sampling in nationwide level, excluding Jeju-Do. Personal survey was conducted through door-to door survey from 27 July to 10 August 1999. The main results of this research was as following; 1. The proportion of information searching of respondents ranged from 91.5-95.2%. Even though the proportion of user in university hospital was slightly high, there was not significant statistically by type of medical institution. In terms of information source, personal informer was most common information source in all type of medical institution. Public informers were more frequently used in university hospital visitors and professional informer in general and university hospital visitors. 2. Comparing to searching intensity, user informer and professional informer's influences were more powerful, but not statistically significant. In analysis of unit influence for information source, written informer or public informer was more powerful in clinic visitor, professional informer and written informer in university hospital visitor. 3. Information which consumer want to know mostly were about on special potential and career of physician. The clinic visitor wanted to know about institutional location and kindness of medical personnel. The university hospital visitor also wanted to know about facilities and convenience of process. Comparing to institution selection criteria of consumers at 1991, quality related criteria were recognized more importantly in outpatient and dental services. But in case of inpatient services, convenience factor was recognized more importantly. In conclusion, the effort for specific marketing plan by type of medical institution should be needed. And more concern on information searching behavior of consumer will be needed.