Health Sciences Library Research Articles

Empowering Patients One App at a Time: An Introduction to Digital Therapeutics

The growth of digital health has led to more app-based solutions entering the market which aim to provide therapeutic outcomes for a variety of diseases. This column explores the emerging field of digital therapeutics (DTx) as evidence-based and FDA-cleared digital interventions – setting them apart from the majority of commercially available solutions. In an effort to identify high quality and evidence-based options, medical and health science librarians can benefit from recognizing the qualifications of DTx, types of available DTx, and use cases for their patrons.

Virtual Reference at Health Sciences Libraries in the Time of COVID-19

Virtual reference services have become a staple in many libraries, but these services reached a new level of importance when in-person reference shut down in response to COVID-19. This descriptive study aims to discover how health sciences librarians utilized virtual reference services in response to the pandemic. A survey was developed and distributed to health sciences librarians. The survey addressed the status of virtual reference services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as any changes that are seen as libraries reopen. Virtual reference shifted heavily to video conferencing during the pandemic both for librarians at home and those remaining onsite.

Themes in Health Sciences Librarianship Literature, 2016–2020: A Keyword and Subject Analysis

Previous investigations into trends in Library and Information Science literature have revealed changes in the topics librarians publish on over time, with older studies highlighting classification and indexing, and information retrieval and more recent studies highlighting keywords such as Internet, information technology, digital libraries, and again, information retrieval. No similar investigation has been conducted on current publication trends by health sciences librarians. This study analyzes the top themes on which health sciences librarians published from 2016 to 2020 by examining the frequency of keywords. Keywords and subject headings were analyzed from The Journal of the Medical Library Association, Medical References Services Quarterly, The Journal of Hospital Librarianship, and The Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries. A total of 8,806 keywords were downloaded for analysis and organized into 292 categories during taxonomy creation. The ten most frequent themes were: libraries, information, education, humans, demography, librarian, geographical locations, research, electronic resources, and technology. The study also found that data, psychiatry and psychology, informatics, and publishing were other key themes, indicating that health sciences librarians are publishing on a wide range of topics. Some keywords that appeared only once, such as telecommuting and flexible staffing, suggest emerging areas of research for librarians.

Are Spaced Repetition Study Tools Changing Health Professions Education?

Spaced repetition study tools aim to optimize study time and maximize learning retention. An alternative to cramming (and then forgetting) information, spaced repetition reinforces learning by revisiting information over time in optimal intervals. Study tools utilizing spaced repetition algorithms have become widely used among students in many health professions, often forming a parallel curriculum to the official curriculum of textbooks and lectures. Examples of these tools include the open-source flashcard program Anki and the subscription-based visual learning platforms Osmosis and Picmonic. Health professions educators, including health science librarians, can learn from learners how they use spaced repetition study tools and thus potentially adjust teaching strategies and library collections.

Evidence Expert Consults: Opportunities for Clinical Librarians in the EHR and Beyond

ABSTRACT To meet the information needs of diverse groups across the health care enterprise, the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah is forging collaborations with key partners to raise awareness of librarian expertise, streamline access to our services, and foster confidence in our ability to make meaningful contributions to evidence-based clinical decision-making, patient safety incident analyses, and institution-level quality improvement initiatives. In this article, the authors: (1) Describe the context and process for developing these partnerships; (2) Discuss the development of new channels for engaging with stakeholders; and (3) Suggest opportunities for librarians beyond clinical decision support that may not have been considered previously by readers.

Health Sciences Librarianship's Status as a Profession Is Unclear, According to Its Members

A Review of: Koenig, R. A., Rodriguez, V. A., & Sima, A. P. (2021). Attitudinal attributes of professionalism in health sciences librarians. Journal of Library Administration, 61(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2020.1845544 Objective – To determine health sciences librarians' attitudes toward professionalism and to examine relationships between professionalism attributes and participant characteristics as defined by the Richard H. Hall Professionalism Inventory. Design – Cross-sectional online survey using the Richard H. Hall Professionalism Inventory. Setting – Electronic mailing lists of the Medical Library Association (MLA), the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Health Sciences Interest Group, and the Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA). Subjects – There were 430 participants. Methods – The online survey, created in REDCap, was distributed electronically across multiple mailing lists during June and July of 2019. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics and ANOVA conducted in R with reliability determined by Cronbach's alpha. Main Results – Professionalism scores for health sciences librarians were lowest in public service and self-regulation, and highest in professional organization as referent, autonomy, and sense of calling. Individuals with a degree in health sciences scored lower on a sense of calling than individuals with Library and Information Science (LIS) degrees. Faculty benefits such as tenure decreased sense of calling. There were statistically significant differences according to role (e.g., archives, administration). Subject specialty librarians had lower scores in most attributes. Conclusion – Health sciences librarianship does not clearly meet the criteria of a profession. Its heterogeneity of specializations and receptiveness to diverse backgrounds and perspectives are possible threats to its ability to create a cohesive identity. Further, duties that can be considered non-library work appear to correlate with lower professionalism scores, even when they are associated with faculty status.

Meta-analysis of serological biomarkers at hospital admission for the likelihood of developing delirium during hospitalization.

Identifying biomarkers that, at hospital admission, predict subsequent delirium will help to focus our clinical efforts on prevention and management. The study aimed to investigate biomarkers at hospital admission that may be associated with delirium during hospitalization. A librarian at the Fraser Health Authority Health Sciences Library performed searches from 28 June 2021 to 9 July 2021, using the following sources: Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews and Effects. The inclusion criteria were articles in English that investigated the link between serum concentration of biomarkers at hospital admission and delirium during hospitalization. Exclusion criteria were single case reports, case series, comments, editorials, letters to the editor, articles that were not relevant to the review objective, and articles concerning pediatrics. After excluding duplicates, 55 studies were included. This meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol. Independent extraction, with the consensus of multiple reviewers, was used to determine the final studies included. The weight and heterogeneity of the manuscripts were calculated using inverse covariance with a random-effects model. Differences in mean serum concentration of biomarkers at hospital admission between patients who did and did not develop delirium during hospitalization. Our search found evidence that patients who developed delirium during hospitalization had, at hospital admission, significantly greater concentrations of certain inflammatory biomarkers and one blood-brain barrier leakage marker than patients who did not develop delirium during hospitalization (differences in the mean: cortisol: 3.36 ng/ml, p < 0.0001; CRP: 41.39 mg/L, p < 0.00001; IL-6: 24.05 pg/ml, p < 0.00001; S100β 0.07 ng/ml, p < 0.00001). These differences were independent of other confounding variables such as the patient's severity of illness. A significantly lower serum concentration, at hospital admission, of acetylcholinesterase (difference in the means -0.86 U/ml, p = 0.004) was also associated with an increased vulnerability to developing delirium during hospitalization. Our meta-analysis supports the hypothesis that patients with hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction, increased blood-brain barrier permeability, and chronic overload of the cholinergic system, at hospital admission, are more vulnerable to developing delirium during hospitalization.

An Exploration of Journals Requested by Health Sciences Libraries Through DOCLINE Interlibrary Loan During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 challenged information exchange globally, including interlibrary loan (ILL). This project explored DOCLINE ILL borrowing data from 15 academic, hospital, and association health sciences libraries before and during the pandemic to understand gaps in ILL coverage. We reviewed aggregate filled and unfilled borrowing data from March to August in 2019 and 2020. We compared these time periods to each other and to system-wide fill rates. We normalized journal titles, added journal price and language, calculated descriptive statistics and odds ratios, and conducted 2-proportion z-tests of differences. In our sample of 14,891 requests, the odds of requests being unfilled were 2.7 times higher in 2020 than in 2019. While the proportion of non-English language content requested did not change, a significantly higher proportion went unfilled in 2020. The rate of unfilled requests for older items also rose significantly between 2019 and 2020. Our findings support the conclusion that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced ILL article request fulfillment in health sciences libraries. Libraries should consider collection development strategies to increase the accessibility of articles held only in print, and those with specialized print collections may want to prioritize digitization of older materials. Future research on the availability, utility, and expense of the materials more likely to remain unfilled should inform publisher backfile prioritization as well as consortial and individual library collection development practices.

Refining the online health information searcher typology: Applying the patient health engagement model.

Despite numerous quantitative findings on online health information seeking, little is known about the process of online health information seeking itself. The study aimed to learn about how adults search for health information online, whether Macias et al.'s Online Health Searcher Typology applies to a broader, non-university sample, and to better identify and understand online health searchers by employing the Patient Health Engagement (PHE) model. This study examined the role of engagement in online health information search processes using think-aloud qualitative interviews with 11 participants in their 30s to 70s. The research applied both thematic analysis and a quantitative coding scheme based on the PHE model to analyse the qualitative data that consists of 500 pages of think-aloud verbatim transcripts. This study found that four (flounderer, skimmer, digester and devourer) out of five types emerged as distinct search styles. Insights into engagement helped distinguish online health searcher types in this sample. The dynamics of the engagement dimension indicate that the online health information search process is multi-dimensional. It is comprised of different levels of cognitive, emotional, and conative responses, further extending the PHE model. Health science librarians and health professionals have a unique opportunity to help individuals better navigate online health search.

SELF-ESTEEM, SELF-CONCEPT AND SELF-IMAGE

Self-esteem corresponds to a feeling of personal worth and self-respect, considering a positive or negative evaluation of oneself, while self-concept is attributed a descriptive and evaluative character, the first being related to self-image and the second to self-esteem. In order to build healthy self-esteem, the involvement of family members and school staff is strictly necessary, in order to provide a safe and motivating environment for children and adolescents. Thus, this article has the general objective of understanding the processes of building self-esteem, self-concept and self-image during child development, through the influences of the environment and affective relationships between the people with whom the child lives. The study is a review of narrative literature, through publications/articles in the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library (SCIELO), Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS) and Virtual Health Library (BVS). Studies have shown the importance of developing a positive self-concept to have a good quality of life. For that, the relationships that the individual establishes in the family, in the school, in his social environment are fundamental for the formation of the self-concept.

Clear the Floor: One Library’s Approach to the Removal and Integration of Items from Two Print Journal Collections

Due to the desire for more student space at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center reviewed its serial holdings both in the library and in its offsite storage facility and determined which titles to retain and discard. This paper will briefly describe the selection process and then discuss the methods and phases of the project used to discard material in two shelving locations including auctioning material, donating material to another library, removing unselected material, and repurposing material for a decorative noise-abatement wall. This paper will also discuss the process of integrating items selected for retention from two shelving locations in separate buildings into one shelving location. The author will share the lessons learned throughout the project.

Building Health Literacy by Enhancing Electronic Health Records With Information Connections: A Partnership of Health Science Librarians and IS Departments

Linking quality information within an electronic medical record or patient electronic record is not a new concept to health sciences librarians. Over time LATCH (Literature Attached to the Chart), InfoButtons, Clinical-e, Digital Libraries, Ask-A-Librarian, and MyChart information links have brought access by librarians to information resources within the electronic and patient health records. Bringing information to the fingertips of the patient care team members and patients and their families builds health literacy. It offers the opportunity to learn and make informed decisions about diagnostic tests, diseases and conditions, drugs and other therapies. This column highlights these electronic enhancements and the partnerships the health science librarians had with IS departments to bring these to fruition.

Implementing a Personal Librarian Program to Rebuild Connections With Medical Students

Health sciences librarians may be experiencing a fundamental sense of disconnection from medical students as the reliance on online resources and post-pandemic acceptance of remote learning chip away at use of the physical library. In response, librarians have investigated a variety of virtual approaches to counter the loss of face-to-face contact with patrons. Numerous reports in the literature explore ways to build virtual relationships with patrons. This case study discusses a project by the Savitt Medical Library of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine to implement a Personal Librarian Program that promoted communication between librarians and learners.

Remote and Hybrid Work Options for Health Science Librarians: A Survey of Job Postings Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study compares health science librarian job postings in the MEDLIB-L listserv from 2018–2019 and 2021–2022 to assess whether there was an increase in remote or hybrid schedule arrangements listed in job advertisements after the pandemic’s onset. Results indicated a notable increase in advertising remote/hybrid work arrangements rising from 1.2% of listings in 2018–2019 to 16% of listings in 2021–2022. Data from a 2022 survey of library directors, however, indicated that approximately 70% of respondents expressed confidence in the continuance of remote/hybrid work. Additionally, from a very limited sample size, salaries for remote/hybrid positions did not appear to be less than in-person postings. While current employees at many institutions may benefit from flexible scheduling, this study examines whether job postings, which are often the primary information available to applicants, included information about remote and hybrid work options.

Research Collaborations Among Health Sciences Librarians

Librarians collaborate in their positions daily to assist patrons with their needs. Many of these interactions are brief with collaborations quickly forming and then being dissolved as librarians provide for the needs of their patrons. Collaborations allow librarians to advance the purposes of the library and reach out and assist the institution. Unlike these brief daily interactions, research collaborations require librarians to make long-term commitments to projects. How can we ensure that these collaborations are successful? Study of research collaborations can assist librarians in determining how to build and maintain research collaborations and avoid or overcome conflicts and barriers. Finding others with similar interests, maintaining communication through multiple channels, and basic project management skills are key to successful research collaborations.

Librarian and Researcher Assessments of Search Result Relevance: How Well Do They Align?

Conducting comprehensive but efficient literature searches for complex evidence syntheses involves selecting databases that will retrieve the greatest number of relevant results on the question. Lack of a comprehensive single database on allied health educational topics challenges those seeking such literature. In this study, six participants contributed research questions on instructional methods and materials for allied health patients, caregivers, and future health professionals. Two health sciences librarians created search strategies for these questions and searched eleven databases. Both the librarians and the six participants evaluated the search results using a rubric based on PICO to assess extent of alignment between the librarians’ and requestors’ relevance judgments. Intervention, Outcome, and Assessment Method constituted the most frequent bases for assessments of relevance by both librarians and participants. The librarians were more restrictive in all of their assessments except in a preliminary search yielding twelve citations without abstracts. The study’s results could be used to identify effective techniques for reference interviewing, selecting databases, and weeding search results.

Transforming Health Sciences Library Spaces (book review)

Transforming Health Sciences Library Spaces (book review)

Health Sciences Libraries As Universities Information Hub in Times of Health Emergencies

The world has witnessed several viral outbreaks in recent years such as the covid-19 pandemic, monkeypox and tomato flu. These have caused a devastating effect on the communities that experience the outbreaks. As a result of these, being informed about diseases has become critical to preventing and curbing the spread of the diseases in communities, especially in academia. Health science libraries and librarians can serve vital informational roles in the fight toward eradicating and preventing future outbreaks. This paper presents the reasons and how health science librarians can achieve those important roles.

Beyond the Conference: Health Sciences Librarians’ Motivations for Publishing

Introduction: Previous studies have found that only 21.8% to 28% of abstracts presented at the annual Medical Library Association (MLA) conferences are later published as journal articles. What motivates health sciences librarians to take the next step in publishing and disseminating their work? This study will answer the following questions: 1) Are librarians presenting at MLA conferences more motivated to publish due to internal motivational factors (e.g., “to build a professional reputation for myself”), external motivational factors (e.g., “I am expected to participate in research for my job”), or a mix of both? 2) Do motivations for publication differ between academic and hospital librarians? 3) Do motivations for publication differ between those who published in peer-reviewed journals and those who published in other venues? Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, the team surveyed first authors of abstracts presented at the MLA conferences in 2012 and 2014 to determine if they later published their work in any full-text format. If they did publish, the team asked authors where their work was published and the primary and secondary reasons for pursuing publication. The reasons for publication included internal and external motivational factors identified from the library science literature. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in motivation. Results: One hundred and sixty one authors responded to the survey, and of these, 49 authors reported that they had published their abstract(s). Fifty-one percent (n=25) of respondents selected only internal motivational factors, 18.4% (n=9) selected only external motivational factors, and 30.6% (n=15) reported a mix of both. The author found no statistically significant differences between hospital and academic librarians, or those who published in peer-reviewed journals versus other venues. Discussion: Findings indicate that librarians who chose to publish their work after presenting at annual MLA conferences are primarily motivated to publish due to internal factors. Interventions designed to encourage MLA presenters to publish their work should consider ways to cultivate presenters’ internal motivation.

The Creation of the Ol Medical Colouring Book

The Ol Medical Colouring Book was inspired by the New York Academy of Medicine Library’s Colour Our Collections annual colouring festival, which was launched in 2016. In which libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions are invited to share images from their collections in the format of a colouring book. Queen’s W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections partnered with the Bracken Health Sciences library to create a colouring book focusing on medical content which emphasized the importance of mental health for students during the exam period (as well as other stressful periods). This proposed presentation would explore the creation process, the inspiration and need for the colouring book. While also addressing disinformation found in sources and how this was combatted with the proper information. The initiative of the colouring book is aimed at providing students with fun relaxation resources, the presentation would cover why there is a need for this specifically during exams, which has been born out of the advancement of technology.