Health Library Services Research Articles

Evolving from public health libraries as a place to focus on public health librarian expertise.

This article describes the evolution of academic public health library services from standalone academic public health libraries in 2004 to centralized services by 2021. Five public health libraries serving public health graduate programs (SPH) at public and private institutions were visited in 2006-07. Visits comprised tours, semi-structured interviews with librarians and local health department staff, and collecting of contemporary print documents. We compiled and compared visit notes across libraries. In 2022, we reviewed online materials announcing library closure or transition for timing and how services were to be subsequently provided. Libraries and SPH were co-located and most librarians maintained public health expertise though they did not have faculty appointments in their SPHs. Specialized statistical and geographic information systems (GIS) software and data were provided in partnership, often with other system libraries. Only two libraries had strong connections to health departments-one with direct service agreements and another engaged in public health training. Academic public health libraries' relationships with SPHs and health departments did not ensure their existence as standalone entities. Following a national trend for branch libraries, public health information services were centralized into larger health or science libraries. The scope and specialization of librarian expertise continues to be valued with several institutions having librarians dedicated to public health.

Extending high quality health information to non-government organisations across the Northern Territory: experiences of NT Health Library Services

This paper discusses NT Health Library Services’ initiative to provide resources and services to health professionals who work for non-government organisations across the Territory. In 2009, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were established. Since then a website has been created specifically for these MOU members and a recent renewal and upgrade project ensured the agreements were updated and the website security standards were being met. With vendor permission the library currently offers access to the following: eight research databases, two clinical decision support tools, one medication database and five electronic book and journal collections. Marketing has begun to increase awareness among these external clients.

Promotional material by NT Health Library Services for Library and Information Week 2023

Promotional material by NT Health Library Services for Library and Information Week 2023

Graduated Success: Monash Health Library’s Cadetship Program

Monash Health Library service is actively supporting the development of new health librarians through a Cadetship position open to new or soon-to-be graduate librarians. In this workplace training program, new librarians benefit from a supportive environment that is designed to bridge the gap between education and practice, while managers and the hosting library enjoy the dynamism of fresh perspectives and skills. On a library sector level, the role promotes pathways into health and special libraries and sustainable development of the health library workforce.

NHS knowledge and library services in England in the digital age.

National Health Service (NHS) knowledge and library services in England are integrating digital advances into their systems and services. Health Education England (HEE) leads on the development of NHS library services. A key workstream focuses on (1) improving the infrastructure to enable discovery and management of digital knowledge resources; (2) collaborating with local teams to establish regional library management systems that are integrated with the new national discovery service for healthcare staff and learners. This article explores initiatives on resource discovery as well as the need for system-wide partnership working to ensure that biomedical knowledge in computable form is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. Low levels of health and digital literacy pose a significant barrier to using health information and accessing health services. A range of interventions are aimed at enhancing citizens' digital and health literacy skills. The education and life-long learning needs of the knowledge and library services workforce are considered. Working with CILIP and higher education institutions, HEE delivers a range of educational offers through its Learning Academy. As Artificial Intelligence and automation are implemented in health systems, knowledge and library staff form a crucial bridge between technology and those who use it.

Dental education and prison health: A scoping review.

There is a huge oral disease burden among imprisoned people. Comprehensive guidelines are available on prison dentistry. Prison dental education is important to increase the quality and quantity of the dental workforce in prisons. It improves student perceptions about imprisoned people and gives students a sense of social responsibility and accountability. The aim of the scoping review was to determine what is known in the literature about teaching pre-doctoral dental students about prison health. A literature search was conducted on seven databases accessed through the Public Health England knowledge and library services. These databases were AMED, Embase, Emcare, Medline, Social Care Institute for Excellence, Web of Science, and Social Care Online. Appraisal of quality was done for included studies. Eleven papers were included in the review, all of which are based in the USA. Two articles looked at dental students as one group engaged in prison health education while five considered imprisoned people as one of the vulnerable populations focused on dental education. Only four articles solely looked at prison dental education. Program design with a collaborative approach between prisons and teaching institutions, and the positive impact of prison health education on dental students emerged as important. The evidence suggests prison dental education to be important in reducing the high burden of oral diseases among the incarcerated by influencing the present and future prison dental workforce. It also improves students' understanding of social determinants of health. Further studies are needed to determine the most effective teaching methods and models.

Validation of a generic impact survey for use by health library services indicates the reliability of the questionnaire.

A validated generic impact questionnaire can demonstrate how individual and groups of health libraries contribute to continuing education and patient care outcomes. To validate an existing generic questionnaire for Knowledge for Healthcare, England by examining: (1) internal reliability; (2) content validity; and (3) suggest revisions. Methods used included Cronbach's alpha test, simple data mining of patterns among a data set of 187 questionnaire responses and checking respondents' interpretation of questions. Cronbach's alpha was 0.776 (acceptable internal reliability). The patterns of responses indicated that respondents' interpretations of the questions were highly plausible, and consistent. The meaning of 'research' varied among different occupational groups, but overall, respondents could identify relevant personal and service impacts. However, users were confused about the terms that libraries use to describe some services. The analysis indicated that the questionnaire worked well for the two types of personal services (literature/evidence searches and training/e-learning) frequently cited on the responses. Further research may be required for library assessment of the impact of other services such as digital resource services. The generic questionnaire is a reliable way of assessing the impact of health library and knowledge services, both individually and collectively.

Critical incident technique helps determine how health library and information services influence clinical decision making and patient care: A literature review.

The Critical incident technique (CIT) has been used for decades in the assessment of the impact of library and information services on patient care and clinical decision making. The purpose of this article is to identify and review the studies that have used CIT approach to assess the impact of library and information services on patient care and clinical decision making. Related articles were searched in the information resources of Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar and LISTA. From among 1346 articles obtained, 22met the inclusion criteria. The analysis of the articles indicated that CIT has been used for various purposes such as assessing the information value, assessing the information resources and librarians in their clinical practice and decision making, examining information-seeking behaviour and analysing cost- benefits. Critical incident technique is a flexible approach for libraries and information services, based on individuals' experiences of finding and using information to help resolve a perceived problem. The studies identified in this review offer a variety of methods for using CIT that other libraries might consider for their own impact studies.

Guidelines for Australian Health Library and Information Services 5th edition to be launched in 2022: National Manager report December 2021

Much has changed in the 13 years since 2008, when the fourth edition of the Guidelines for Australian Health Libraries (the Guidelines) was published. In the intervening years, digital technologies have transformed the way health, research, education, and information services are delivered; and contemporaneously, the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to affect nearly every aspect of our home, work, professional, and community lives.

Increasing participation by National Health Service knowledge and library services staff in patient and public information: The role of Knowledge for Healthcare, 2014-2019.

BackgroundThe strategy lead for the National Health Service (NHS) knowledge and library services withn the NHS in England is held by Health Education England, working with 184 local NHS libraries based predominantly in hospitalsObjectivesAs part of the strategic framework Knowkedge for Healthcare, the objective was to increase the role NHS knowledge and library services staff play in both indirect an direct support for evidence‐based information for patients and the public.MethodsThe study took an integrated multi‐level approach: encouraging local staff to share their expertise through Task and Finish groups, developing tools, offering training and reviewing levers available through Health Education England's quality assurance role.ResultsBetween 2014 and 2019, the percentage of services supporting patient and public information increased from 27% to 78%. Qualitative evidence demonstrates a wide range of roles played by local services, working either indirectly or directly to ensure access to evidence‐based health information for patients and the public.DiscussionThe study shows the benefits of engaging people with local expertise in developing the skills and resources for system‐wide change.ConclusionSimilar system‐wide change programmes should also consider an integrated approach, involving people, developing tools, offering training and drawing on incentive structures such as quality assurance measures.

'Moving Forward': how health librarians can continue supporting the legacy of Shane Godbolt.

Over the course of her life, Shane influenced the careers of many people working in health library and knowledge services. This article brings together three personal perspectives exploring aspects of this influence. By considering the activities prompted by contact with Shane, we look to how librarians might build on the example she provided of living a full professional life.

Library Jargon Creates Barriers for Potential Users of Health Library and Information Services.

This paper is based on Helen Kiely's Masters dissertation on MA in Library and Information Service Management, successfully completed at the University of Sheffield in 2018. The aim of the study was to explore the extent to which users of a health care library service understood common terminology used by clinical librarians/information professionals. A survey was developed based on the terminology used for common services and was distributed to staff and students at an acute NHS Foundation Trust. One hundred and eight people participated over a four week period and were asked to provide definitions to the terms. Analysis of the responses for accuracy and common themes indicates that jargon can be a barrier to user access and recommendations are made with respect to the need for outreach to users and the language used in this practice for creating better accessibility. F.J.

Sustaining Transformation by Evidence Mobilisation (STEM)Club in the North East of England

In 2016 Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships were formed across the whole of England, bringing together care providers with commissioners and local authorities to plan local delivery of health and social care.
 Within this context, a small group of leaders working in broadly “evidence roles” within healthcare in the North East and North Cumbria (NENC), began discussing how those with the skills to support evidence-based practice might be able to better support healthcare decision-making at the system-wide level. The group focussed on the need for cultural change and making personal connections. Rather than provide “evidence products”, our aim was to build relationships between policy and decision makers and those in evidence roles. We agreed that we needed to:
 
 Develop a network of local people working in evidence roles in the healthcare field (STEMClub).
 
 
 Link local health library and knowledge services staff (LKS) into the work streams of the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (now the Integrated Care System).
 
 
 Raise awareness and gain support among senior stakeholders in the ICS, NHS England (NHSE), Public Health England (PHE) and Health Education England (HEE) of the aims of STEMClub.
 
 This case study describes our progress to date in developing the network and supporting the work of healthcare decision-makers and policy makers in the North East and North Cumbria.

Screening everyday health information literacy among four populations.

People face varying obstacles when interacting with health information in their everyday lives. This study aims to examine the applicability of a multidimensional Everyday Health Information Literacy (EHIL) screening tool in detecting people with challenges in accessing, understanding, evaluating and using health information in everyday situations. Previously collected EHIL screening tool data from Finnish upper secondary school students (n=217), Finnish young men (n=1450), Finnish adults with an increased risk for metabolic syndrome (n=559) and Namibian university students (n=271) were reanalysed to examine the factorial structure of the tool and to compare the groups. Statistical analyses included exploratory factor analyses, calculation of mean factor scores and one-way analysis of variance. A three factor structure ('awareness', 'access', 'assessment') for the screening tool was supported based on the Finnish samples. However, the Namibian data did not follow a similar structure. Significant differences in groupwise factor scores were discovered. The findings suggest that the multidimensional EHIL screening tool can be used in pointing out areas where individuals or groups may need support. The tool may be useful to health information and library services workers when counselling or educating the public.

Delivering information literacy within a global health care degree: reflections from a health information specialist.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have a growing interest in establishing International joint degree programmes in developing countries. A Master's degree in global health care is an international joint degree programme run by two Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences and one Kenyan University. To provide students and staff members who live in Finland with an authentic experience of the circumstances in the developing countries, part of the programme involves delivering a two-week intensive course in Kenya. Health library services and information literacy training have a significant presence during this intensive course. In this paper, guest writer Marketta Fredriksson describes and reflects on the involvement of the health care library team in the development and implementation of this degree and delivery of the intensive course in Kenya.H.S.

Developing a generic tool to routinely measure the impact of health libraries.

Health libraries contribute to many activities of a health care organisation. Impact assessment needs to capture that range of contributions. To develop and pilot a generic impact questionnaire that: (1) could be used routinely across all English NHS libraries; (2) built on previous impact surveys; and (3) was reliable and robust. This collaborative project involved: (1) literature search; (2) analysis of current best practice and baseline survey of use of current tools and requirements; (3) drafting and piloting the questionnaire; and (4) analysis of the results, revision and plans for roll out. The framework selected was the International Standard Methods And Procedures For Assessing The Impact Of Libraries (ISO 16439). The baseline survey (n=136 library managers) showed that existing tools were not used, and impact assessment was variable. The generic questionnaire developed used a Critical Incident Technique. Analysis of the findings (n=214 health staff and students), plus comparisons with previous impact studies indicated that the questionnaire should capture the impact for all types of health libraries. The collaborative project successfully piloted a generic impact questionnaire that, subject to further validation, should apply to many types of health library and information services.

Forward view: advancing health library and knowledge services in England.

This article is the fourth in a series on New Directions. The National Health Service is under pressure, challenged to meet the needs of an ageing population, whilst striving to improve standards and ensure decision making is underpinned by evidence. Health Education England is steering a new course for NHS library and knowledge services in England to ensure access to knowledge and evidence for all decision makers. Knowledge for Healthcare calls for service transformation, role redesign, greater coordination and collaboration. To meet user expectations, health libraries must achieve sustainable, affordable access to digital content. Traditional tasks will progressively become mechanised. Alongside supporting learners, NHS librarians and knowledge specialists will take a greater role as knowledge brokers, delivering business critical services. They will support the NHS workforce to signpost patients and the public to high-quality information. There is a need for greater efficiency and effectiveness through greater co-operation and service mergers. Evaluation of service quality will focus more on outcomes, less on counting. These changes require an agile workforce, fit for the future. There is a bright future in which librarians' expertise is used to mobilise evidence, manage and share knowledge, support patients, carers and families, optimise technology and social media and provide a keystone for improved patient care and safety.

Intervenciones fonoaudiológicas en la disfonía espasmódica: estudio bibliométrico

This study aimed to characterize the scientific production related to speech-language interventions in Spasmodic Dysphonia. To this goal, eight databases were consulted - the Clinical Key, Biomed Central, Directory of Open Access Journals, Science Direct, Pubmed, Scielo, Virtual Health Library and Ebsco Discovery Service; based on a search protocol with three filters defined by 1) Title and summary of papers, 2) Aspects related to speech therapy and 3) Papers that answered the research question. The initial search yielded a total of 2,332 papers, mostly found in the Science Direct database and published in English. Once the first filter was applied, a total of 55 papers were remained, with the second filter 22, and the third filter three. Of the latter, two reported treatment results through case studies, two did so by comparing one experimental group and a control group and one measured results in a group through the filling of questionnaires. As a conclusion, there is little evidence to identify speech-language interventions in people with spasmodic dysphonia, which requires more studies and more publication of treatment results.

Cracking induction in health libraries: is there a right way?

In most instances, inductions are the first time that users will be introduced to health library services. The time available in which to deliver library orientation sessions within a broader, Trust induction programme is often limited, and this can present challenges for health librarians. Inductions are a great marketing tool, and it is important that induction sessions make the right impact. Within a brief window of opportunity, the health librarian must impart key information to the inductees whilst ensuring the session is relevant and memorable. In this article, guest writer Nicola Healey, Library Manager of North Somerset Healthcare Library, discusses the range of approaches she and her colleagues have explored in delivering library inductions, explaining what worked, what did not and what areas still remain for development. H. S.

The economic value and clinical impact of the South Australian Health Library Service 2011–2016

This is a case study of how one Australian state’s health department library service is attempting to measure the economic value and clinical impact of its professional services and online resources. The case study describes the context in which performance measurement strategies were devised and gives examples of key performance indicators being applied to evaluate library services in a manner comprehensible to the senior management of the parent organization.