Abstract
Hospital health sciences libraries represent, for the vast majority of health professionals, the most accessible source for library information and services. Most health professionals do not have available the specialized services of a clinical medical librarian, and rely instead upon general information services for their case-related information needs. The ability of the hospital library to meet these needs and the impact of the information on quality patient care have not been previously examined. A study was conducted in eight hospitals in the Chicago area as a quality assurance project. A total of 176 physicians, nurses, and other health professionals requested information from their hospital libraries related to a current case or clinical situation. They then assessed the quality of information received, its cognitive value, its contribution to patient care, and its impact on case management. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents asserted that they would definitely or probably handle their cases differently as a result of the information provided by the library. Almost all rated the libraries' performance and response highly. An overview of the context and purpose of the study, its methods, selected results, limitations, and conclusions are presented here, as is a review of selected earlier research.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bowden C. L., Bowden V. M. A survey of information sources used by psychiatrists. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1971 Oct;59(4):603–608. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Covell D. G., Uman G. C., Manning P. R. Information needs in office practice: are they being met? Ann Intern Med. 1985 Oct;103(4):596–599. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-103-4-596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Evans E., Borko H., Ferguson P. Review of criteria used to measure library effectiveness. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1972 Jan;60(1):102–110. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fazzone N., DeSimone M. G. MEDLARS utilization profile in New England. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1984 Jan;72(1):6–11. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Greenberg B., Battison S., Kolisch M., Leredu M. Evaluation of a clinical medical librarian program at the Yale Medical Library. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1978 Jul;66(3):319–326. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hardy M. C., Yeoh J. W., Crawford S. Evaluating the impact of library services on the quality and cost of medical care. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1985 Jan;73(1):43–46. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kantor P. B. Cost and usage of health sciences libraries: economic aspects. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1984 Jul;72(3):274–286. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schnall J. G., Wilson J. W. Evaluation of a clinical medical librarianship program at a university Health Sciences Library. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1976 Jul;64(3):278–283. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scura G., Davidoff F. Case-related use of the medical literature. Clinical librarian services for improving patient care. JAMA. 1981 Jan 2;245(1):50–52. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Self P. C., Gebhart K. A. A quality assurance process in health sciences libraries. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1980 Jul;68(3):288–292. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stinson E. R., Mueller D. A. Survey of health professionals' information habits and needs. Conducted through personal interviews. JAMA. 1980 Jan 11;243(2):140–143. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Strasser T. C. The information needs of practicing physicians in northeastern New York State. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1978 Apr;66(2):200–209. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stross J. K., Harlan W. R. The dissemination of new medical information. JAMA. 1979 Jun 15;241(24):2622–2624. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]