From Clinical Search Signals to Educational Hypotheses in Latin America A proposed Medical Affairs framework

Abstract

Studies of physician information seeking describe recurring clinical questions and barriers to finding answers. Aggregate search patterns could inform educational planning, but a search is not a measurement of knowledge or competence. To develop a proposed framework for assessing whether aggregate clinical search patterns warrant further investigation as educational needs in Latin American Medical Affairs settings. We developed a targeted narrative synthesis of selected public literature on information seeking, search analytics, digital education, continuing professional development, and Medical Affairs. The retained evidence log does not establish an exhaustive or reproducible search. No patient data, proprietary analytics, or physician-level query logs were analyzed. Conceptual models, empirical studies, reviews, and an institutional report informed framework development without being pooled as validation evidence. We propose six stages: signal capture, taxonomy mapping, evidence and needs corroboration, gap classification, Medical Affairs translation, and adaptive education feedback. Search patterns remain candidate information needs until corroborated independently. Regional evidence informs access and governance considerations, not search-signal validity. The combined framework has not been evaluated; its recommendations are author proposals rather than validated standards. Clinical search patterns may be useful inputs to educational inquiry, but earlier detection, learning benefit, and regional applicability remain untested. Evaluation should distinguish attention, corroborated learning needs, learning outcomes, and clinical outcomes. The framework does not support physician profiling, prescribing inference, or disease-burden estimation.