Health Library Services Research Articles

Healthcare Services Managers: What Information do They Need and Use?

Objectives: To gain insight into the information behaviour of healthcare services managers as they draw on information while engaged in decision making unrelated to individual patient care. Objectives – The purpose of this research project was to gain insight into the information behaviour of healthcare services managers as they use information while engaged in decision-making unrelated to individual patient care. 
 
 Methods – This small-scale, exploratory, multiple case study used the critical incident technique in nineteen semi-structured interviews. Responses were analyzed using ‘Framework,’ a matrix-based content analysis system.
 
 Results – This paper presents findings related to the internal information that healthcare services managers need and use. Their decisions are influenced by a wide variety of factors. They must often make decisions without all of the information they would prefer to have. Internal information and practical experience set the context for new research-based information, so they are generally considered first.
 
 Conclusions – Healthcare services managers support decisions with both facts and value-based information. These results may inform both delivery of health library services delivery and strategic health information management planning. They may also support librarians who extend their skills beyond managing library collections and teaching published information retrieval skills, to managing internal and external information, teaching information literacy, and supporting information sharing.

Let's stick together: collaborative purchasing of electronic journals in the National Health Service

To describe the process and the lessons learned from the collaborative purchasing of electronic journals by National Health Service (NHS) libraries in the East Midlands, UK. The background to a successful joint purchasing initiative is described, including the methodology for selecting titles and the formula for dividing the payment. Factors that have a bearing on successful collaboration are discussed, including use of a Framework Agreement, licensing conditions and measuring impact. NHS librarians working together can leverage collective benefits for users through collaborative purchasing.

Increasing the rural general practitioners’ use of library and information services through publicity: a randomized controlled trial in Cornwall, UK

To provide evidence on the effectiveness of publicity with the aim of encouraging general practitioners (GPs) in Cornwall to make better use of the Cornwall Health Library Service (CHLS). In the light of the findings, a second objective was formulated to determine which resources they used to look for health information. A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) measured the effect of two types of publicity, comparing emails with visiting GP practices. After the trial period, a questionnaire was sent to all 332 GPs to ascertain the resources they accessed for their information and any barriers to their use of the CHLS. The GP's use of the library services was lower than the level needed for a conclusive statistical analysis; however, visiting practices was associated with an apparent increase in library use and warrants further investigation. The questionnaire showed that GPs make good use of databases and colleagues. The RCT confirmed the low uptake of library services anticipated, but was inconclusive in demonstrating the most effective form of publicity. The questionnaire suggested that a substantial number of GPs are interested in the library services and has provided an insight into the way that GPs look for information in Cornwall.

Measuring the value and impact of health library and information services: past reflections, future possibilities

To summarize the context, history and results of research studies conducted on the value and impact of health library and information services by the author since 1975 and to use this as a basis for examining ongoing developments related to evaluation research. To provide a comprehensive bibliography of library value and impact studies. Literature review and background based on personal involvement in the studies under discussion. The author's studies demonstrate an ongoing evolution of value and impact studies since the mid-1970s. In health sciences libraries, the approach taken to measuring value and impact has been strongly influenced by the type of research being conducted in the health sciences field as a whole. As a result, health sciences library researchers have become early adopters of methods that incorporate outcome and impact measures and rigorous research designs, and the concept of evidence-based library and information practice. The paper recommends that a range of research approaches from various disciplines be used to guide future evaluation research. Value and impact studies will continue to be important resources for evidence-based practice as health information professionals deal with evolving user needs and new ways of delivering information to a variety of audiences.

Assessing the impact of information services in the health sector

Assessing the impact of information services in the health sector

Evaluation of the KA24 (Knowledge Access 24) service for health and social care staff in London and the south‐east of England. Part 2: qualitative

The aim of this two-part paper is to identify the main transferable lessons learned from both the quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the KA24 (Knowledge Access 24) service of online databases and selected full-text journals for health and social care staff in London and the south-east of England. The objectives of the qualitative evaluation were to assess the enablers and barriers to usage, and to assess the impact of the service on patient care. Telephone interviews (n = 65) and a questionnaire survey (n = 296) were conducted with various types of user, in various Trust settings. Some non-users were also contacted. Selection of interviewees and questionnaire recipients was not random, and aimed to cover all groups of users representatively. Results show that policy goals were being delivered, with indications of changes to clinical practice, and improved clinical governance. Promotion, training and support needs to be extensive, and tailored to needs, but users are not always aware they need training. The sharing of passwords cast doubts on the reliability of some usage data. Digital health library services, delivered at the point of care, are changing the way some clinicians practise. A combination of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods are needed to assess digital library services.

Rehabilitating the Stroke Collection

Objective - The aim of this project was to complete an analysis of monograph and audiovisual items held in the Central Coast Health Service (CCHS) Libraries and containing information relevant to the treatment of acute stroke. Acute stroke is treated by multidisciplinary teams of clinicians based at two hospitals within the CCHS. The adequacy of the library collection was measured by subject coverage and age.
 
 Methods - The methodology used consisted of three main steps: a literature review; design, administration, and analysis of a questionnaire to members of the CCHS Acute Stroke Team; and an analysis of the libraries’ collections. The research project utilised project management methodology and an evidence based librarianship framework.
 
 Results - The questionnaire revealed that electronic resources were by far the most frequently used by participants, followed in order by print journals, books, interlibrary loan articles, and audiovisual items. Collection analysis demonstrated that the monograph and audiovisual collections were adequate in both scope and currency to support the information needs of Acute Stroke Team members, with the exception of resources to support patient education.
 
 Conclusion - The researchers developed recommendations for future collection development in the area of acute stroke resources. Conducting this project within the evidence based librarianship framework helped to develop library staff members’ confidence in their ability to make future collection development decisions, informed by the target group’s information needs and preferences. The collection analysis methodology was designed to be replicated, and new specialist groups within the client base of the library will be targeted to repeat the collection analysis process.

The way we were: health library life seen through the pages of the Medical Library Bulletin of the Thames Regions, 1974–94

The Medical Library Bulletin of the Thames Regions reflected the development of health-service libraries over the 20 years it existed. Originally begun as a practical aid to improving services by encouraging co-operation, improving communication and giving instructive advice, it charted the work of health-service librarians and the growth of their services. The articles contained in it covered professional developments and wider political issues as they occurred, and illustrated the extension of the librarians' knowledge and skills. Leslie Morton, Library Adviser to the British Postgraduate Medical Federation, edited almost every issue, starting at a time when there was little guidance or professional literature available for health-service librarians.

The information needs and information‐seeking behaviours of home‐care workers and clients receiving home care

Discusses findings from doctoral research on the information behaviour of home-care workers and their clients. The paper focuses on the findings, which have implications for health library and information services. The qualitative research methods included participant observation in the homes of clients (n = 7), over a period of 18 months, in a city in the UK, complemented by in-depth interviews of home-care staff (n = 47). Home-care staff perceived requests for information on a variety of topics as an indivisible part of their caring role. Clients asked for more information than they had in the past, and home-care workers were expected to respond to a wide variety of enquiries about health, welfare, leisure and domestic concerns. Clients trusted their advice as much as they might have trusted members of the family. Home-care workers from an agency used a variety of resources at the agency office to help them, such as leaflets on welfare benefits, and health conditions. Few had used NHS Direct, and library use (by a third of the home-care workers) was generally associated with course work or training. Some family members and home-care staff used self-help groups, but the research found that family members were sometimes reticent to ask advice on sensitive issues in self-help groups. Home-care workers learnt from each other and shared experience. Libraries and information services need to target provision of formal information carefully, as it is advice and counsel that is required in the home-care setting.

Creation and development of an All-Wales Health Library Catalogue.

This article focuses on the collaboration between the University of Wales College of Medicine (UWCM) libraries and the Welsh National Health Service (NHS) libraries to create a joint library catalogue. The goal was to create an all-Wales resource that gave users one access point to search for the location and availability of health-related material in any Welsh medical library. This venture grew out of the existing collaborative scheme, the All-Wales Health Information and Library Extension Services (AWHILES). Currently, all seven UWCM libraries and 17 NHS libraries contribute to the catalogue. Four more libraries are due to join in late 2003 or early 2004. All UWCM and AWHILES libraries would then be contributing members of the joint catalogue. The article discusses the background and motivation to the creation of the database. It explores the positives and negatives of the project plus what was learnt as the venture progressed. It reviews the establishment and operations of the Welsh Health Voyager User Group (WHVUG) created to involve all contributing members in the running and future development of the library catalogue.

A recruitment and retention study of staff working in National Health Service libraries in the north-west of England.

A recruitment and retention study of staff working in National Health Service libraries in the north-west of England.

Using SERVQUAL in health libraries across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

This study provides the results of a survey conducted in the autumn of 2001 by ten NHS library services across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The aim of the project was to measure the service quality of each individual library and to provide an overall picture of the quality of library services within the south-west peninsula. The survey was based on SERVQUAL, a diagnostic tool developed in the 1980s, which measures service quality in terms of customer expectations and perceptions of service. The survey results have provided the librarians with a wealth of information about service quality. The service as a whole is perceived to be not only meeting but also exceeding expectations in terms of reliability, responsiveness, empathy and assurance. For the first time, the ten health library services can measure their own service quality as well as benchmark themselves against others.

Critical incident technique and explicitation interviewing in studies of information behavior

This article discusses two related techniques, critical incident technique (CIT) and explicitation, which are used in a variety of social science research settings, and critically reviews their application to studies of information behavior. The current application of both techniques is compared with Flanagan's early guidelines on the CIT and is discussed in relation to recent experience in the use of (1) the CIT in the JUSTEIS and VIVOS projects and (2) explicitation in projects concerned with text entering on interactive Web sites. The JUSTEIS project identifies trends, and reasons for those trends, in the uptake and use of electronic information services in higher education in the United Kingdom; this article examines experience gained over the first two cycles—1999 to 2000 and 2000 to 2001. The VIVOS project evaluated virtual health library services. Comparison of the experiences gained on the various projects suggests that critical incident methods could usefully be extended and enriched by some explicitation methods, to elicit the degree of evocation required for current and future studies of Internet use.

Determining the Impact of Health Library Services on Patient Care

The impact of health library information has been studied in a number of settings and populations. This review examines both the methods employed and the outcomes reported in a series of impact studies conducted in four countries since the late 1980s. It demonstrates that health library information can affect patient care outcomes in various ways and has high cognitive and clinical value in diagnosing and treating patients. But there remains no agreed technique or methodology for determining the level of this impact. In many cases evaluation of the health library's impact will be located within a central process of evaluation of the greater organisation to which the library belongs. Consequently local ad hoc evaluation is rarely reported outside an organisation. The author considers the question of whether it is worthwhile doing an impact study and what form it might take. The author concludes by identifying seminal papers on the topic.

A first class knowledge service: developing the National electronic Library for Health

With the introduction of clinical governance and the move towards evidence-based practice, there is a growing need to provide health professionals and patients, and the public, with high quality information. Developments in the health service have added weight and urgency to this need. The National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) has a key role to play in providing health professionals with a core knowledge base of accredited and evaluated information. The Pilot NeLH was launched in November and this article outlines the progress and achievements made during this time. The NeLH is based around a central website featuring core resources and links to commissioned specialist collections. Over 70 information resources, including bibliographic databases and full text publications, are accessible via the NeLH, which aims to act as a one-stop shop to support evidence-based decision-making. Much work has been undertaken on national procurement and licensing, particularly in partnership with National Health Service (NHS) libraries. Partnerships as a whole are crucial to ensure true seamless access for health professionals. Key partners include NHS libraries, NHS Direct Online and the electronic Library for Social Care. A short glossary is included for those readers less familiar with current health service developments in the UK.

Directory of Health Library and Information Services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 2002–3. 11th edn.

Directory of Health Library and Information Services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, 2002–3. 11th edn.

Determining the impact of health library services on patient care: a review of the literature.

The impact of health library information has been studied in a number of settings and populations. This review examines both the methods employed and the outcomes reported in a series of impact studies conducted in four countries since the late 1980's. It demonstrates that health library information can affect patient care outcomes in various ways and has high cognitive and clinical value in diagnosing and treating patients. But there remains no agreed technique or methodology for determining the level of this impact. In many cases evaluation of the health library's impact will be located within a central process of evaluation of the greater organization to which the library belongs. Consequently, local ad hoc evaluation is rarely reported outside an organization. The author considers the question of whether it is worthwhile doing an impact study and what form it might take. The author concludes by identifying seminal papers on the topic.

Proceedings of the Association of Mental Health Librarians 35th Annual Meeting, September 22-24, 2000, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Abstract These Proceedings of the Association of Mental Health Librarians 35th Annual Meeting, held September 22-24, 2000 at the Uni-versity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, providein formational abstracts for each of eight papers presented at the Meeting. The Future is Now meeting theme was reflective of the ground breaking mental health research, enduring public policy issues and new technology that are all impacting mental health library services in the new century.

Assessing the quality of library and information services for United Kingdom health professionals and students: a comparison of the National Health Service and higher education approaches and the way forward

The paper examines the processes of evaluating the quality of two library and information services for health professionals in the UK: higher education (HE) health library and information services and those of the National Health Service (NHS). Both are principally serving the same user group – clinicians at various stages in their professional lives. Health professionals need access to services from libraries in both sectors for their initial pre‐qualification course. The concept of life‐long learning has strengthened the need for clinicians to be able to locate relevant information when and where they need it. This need for dual access is continued after becoming qualified when they undertake continuing professional development, complete research, deliver evidence‐based care and help patients with their information needs. Despite NHS and HE health libraries serving the same user group there are many differences between libraries in the two sectors. The level of difference is discussed, demonstrating that the quality processes are often diametrically opposed.

A Delphi survey of research priorities and identified areas for collaborative research in health sector library and information services UK.

The survey aims were to determine research priorities in the Health Library and Information Services sector in the United Kingdom as to their perceived value for the professional and impact on user needs and to identify areas suitable for collaborative research. A 34-member panel consisting of the Chairs of professional groups, journal editors, educationalists, key organizations and representatives from the Health Libraries Group, Libraries for Nursing and University Health Science Libraries professional groups, participated in a three-round postal questionnaire survey using the Delphi Technique. Consensus was achieved for a final set of 20 research priorities. The priorities and their category groups are discussed in the context of (i) the current R&D scene, and (ii) the health information environment. Six developmental recommendations are provided.