Continuing education for medical students: a library model

Purpose

The research assessed a three-year continuing medical education–style program for medical students in a Midwestern academic medical library.

Methods

A mixed methods approach of a survey and two focus groups comparing attendees versus non-attendees assessed the program.

Results

Eleven students participated in the focus groups. Attendance was driven by topic interest and lunch. Barriers included lack of interest, scheduling, location, and convenience.

Conclusions

Although attendance was a challenge, students valued opportunities to learn new skills. This study showcases a reproducible method to engage students outside the curriculum.     

The impact of library instruction: do first-year medical students use library resources specifically highlighted during instructional sessions?

Objectives:

The research sought to determine if first-year medical students consulted and cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions.

Methods:

Students attended a library resources instructional session. Resources that pertained to the students'' assignment were demonstrated and discussed. The students created a report including citations from relevant literature. The citations were analyzed and categorized as: a resource discussed at the instructional session, a resource found on the course LibGuide, a library resource, course material, or some other resource. All citations were subcategorized as print or electronic.

Results:

Three years (2008–2011) of data analyzing 2,983 citations showed that 49.55% of all citations were from resources discussed during library instructional sessions; 21.86% came from resources with links on the course LibGuide; 77.51% were from library resources; and 90.68% came from electronic resources.

Conclusion:

Students cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assignments. The percentage of all citations coming from resources highlighted during the instructional sessions or found on the course LibGuide indicates that library instruction had an impact on the students'' work.

Highlights

• Review of the literature shows that instruction about library resources accompanied by clear guidelines on scholarly research methods and resources provided by course instructors have the biggest impact on the quality of cited materials in student bibliographies.
• Graduate medical students cited library resources more frequently than nonlibrary resources for their assigned coursework.
• Graduate medical students cited materials and resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assigned coursework.

Implications

• Instruction about library resources tailored to medical students'' assignments impacts the resources that the students consult and cite for their assignments.
• Using the information gathered from citation analysis to modify teaching plans can impact the effectiveness of library instructional sessions.

     

Developing health information literacy: a needs analysis from the perspective of preprofessional health students

Objective:

The research identified the skills, if any, that health preprofessional students wished to develop after receiving feedback on skill gaps as well as any strategies they intended to use to address these gaps.

Methods:

A qualitative approach was used to elicit students'' reflections on building health information literacy skills. First, the students took the Research Readiness Self-Assessment instrument, which measured their health information literacy, and then they received individually tailored feedback about their scores and skill gaps. Second, students completed a post-assessment survey asking how they intended to close identified gaps in their skills on these. Three trained coders analyzed qualitative comments by 181 students and grouped them into themes relating to “what skills to improve” and “how to improve them.”

Results:

Students intended to develop library skills (64% of respondents), Internet skills (63%), and information evaluation skills (63%). Most students reported that they would use library staff members'' assistance (55%), but even more respondents (82%) planned to learn the skills by practicing on their own. Getting help from librarians was a much more popular learning strategy than getting assistance from peers (20%) or professors (17%).

Conclusions:

The study highlighted the importance of providing health preprofessional students with resources to improve skills on their own, remote access to library staff members, and instruction on the complexity of building health literacy skills, while also building relationships among students, librarians, and faculty.

Highlights

• After receiving feedback on skill gaps, most preprofessional health students intend to develop their information literacy skills.
• Some students report that a trip to the library is a barrier to using library resources.
• Students see the need to build their information evaluation skills, knowledge of citations and plagiarism, and library skills, which they differentiate from Internet skills.
• Students are more likely to identify librarians as sources for assistance in finding information than faculty or peers after receiving individual feedback explaining the role of libraries and library staff members.

Implications

• Students'' health information competencies can be built through assessment and feedback that reveals skill gaps, highlights misconceptions, and offers ideas on how to improve.
• Access to professionally designed self-study resources is needed for students who intend to develop health information competencies on their own.

     

Data literacy training needs of biomedical researchers

Objective

The research investigated topic priorities for data literacy training for biomedical researchers and staff.

Methods

An electronic survey was used to assess researchers'' level of knowledge related to data literacy skills and the relevance of these skills to their work.

Results

Most respondents did not have any formal training in data literacy. Respondents considered most tasks highly relevant to their work but rated their expertise in tasks lower.

Conclusion

Among this group, researchers have diverse data literacy training needs. Librarians'' expertise makes them well suited to provide such training.     

Electronic resources preferred by pediatric hospitalists for clinical care

Objectives

There is little research on pediatric hospitalists'' use of evidence-based resources. The aim of this study was to determine the electronic resources that pediatric hospitalists prefer.

Methods

Using a web-based survey, the authors determined hospitalists'' preferred electronic resources, as well as their attitudes toward lifelong learning, practice, and experience characteristics.

Results

One hundred sixteen hospitalists completed the survey. The most preferred resource for general information, patient handouts, and treatment was UpToDate. Online search engines were ranked second for general information and patient handouts.

Conclusions

Pediatric hospitalists tend to utilize less rigorous electronic resources such as UpToDate and Google. These results can set a platform for discussing the quality of resources that pediatric hospitalists use.     

Developing an evidence-based public health informatics course*

Objectives

This study assessed the need to develop a public health informatics (PHI) introductory course and determine contents of such a course.

Methods

Community assessments employing focus group interviews and an online survey were utilized to determine course need and content.

Results

Results revealed a need to provide PHI training to graduate public health students and suggested broad course content requirements. Results indicated lack of awareness of libraries and librarians as sources of public health information.

Conclusions

A graduate PHI course was developed and delivered. Additionally, implementation of a subject guide increased the library''s profile.     

Starting the data conversation: informing data services at an academic health sciences library

Objective

The research obtained information to plan data-related products and services.

Methods

Biomedical researchers in an academic medical center were selected using purposive sampling and interviewed using open-ended questions based on a literature review. Interviews were conducted until saturation was achieved.

Results

Interview responses informed library planners about researchers’ key data issues.

Conclusions

This approach proved valuable for planning data management products and services and raising library visibility among clients in the research data realm.     

Finding alternatives when a major database is gone

Question

What to do when a major database ceases publication?

Setting

An urban, academic health sciences library with four campuses serves a university health sciences system, a college of medicine, and five other health sciences colleges.

Methods

Usage statistics of each e-book title in the resource were carefully analyzed. Purchase decisions were made based on the assessment of usage.

Results

Sustainable resources were acquired from other vendors, with perpetual access for library users.

Conclusion

This systematic process of finding alternative resources is an example of librarians'' persistence in acquiring perpetual electronic resources when a major resource is cancelled.     

Expanding roles in a library-based bioinformatics service program: a case study

Question:

How can a library-based bioinformatics support program be implemented and expanded to continuously support the growing and changing needs of the research community?

Setting:

A program at a health sciences library serving a large academic medical center with a strong research focus is described.

Methods:

The bioinformatics service program was established at the Norris Medical Library in 2005. As part of program development, the library assessed users'' bioinformatics needs, acquired additional funds, established and expanded service offerings, and explored additional roles in promoting on-campus collaboration.

Results:

Personnel and software have increased along with the number of registered software users and use of the provided services.

Conclusion:

With strategic efforts and persistent advocacy within the broader university environment, library-based bioinformatics service programs can become a key part of an institution''s comprehensive solution to researchers'' ever-increasing bioinformatics needs.     

Mobile devices in medicine: a survey of how medical students,residents, and faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find information

Objectives:

The research investigated the extent to which students, residents, and faculty members in Canadian medical faculties use mobile devices, such as smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android, Blackberry) and tablet computers (e.g., iPad), to answer clinical questions and find medical information. The results of this study will inform how health libraries can effectively support mobile technology and collections.

Methods:

An electronic survey was distributed by medical librarians at four Canadian universities to medical students, residents, and faculty members via departmental email discussion lists, personal contacts, and relevant websites. It investigated the types of information sought, facilitators to mobile device use in medical information seeking, barriers to access, support needs, familiarity with institutionally licensed resources, and most frequently used resources.

Results:

The survey of 1,210 respondents indicated widespread use of smartphones and tablets in clinical settings in 4 Canadian universities. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students (i.e., those in their clinical clerkships) and medical residents, compared to other graduate students and faculty, used their mobile devices more often, used them for a broader range of activities, and purchased more resources for their devices.

Conclusions:

Technological and intellectual barriers do not seem to prevent medical trainees and faculty from regularly using mobile devices for their medical information searches; however, barriers to access and lack of awareness might keep them from using reliable, library-licensed resources.

Implications:

Libraries should focus on providing access to a smaller number of highly used mobile resources instead of a huge collection until library-licensed mobile resources have streamlined authentication processes.     

The health sciences librarian in medical education: a vital pathways project task force

Objectives:

The Medical Education Task Force of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians reviewed current and future roles of health sciences librarians in medical education at the graduate and undergraduate levels and worked with national organizations to integrate library services, education, and staff into the requirements for training medical students and residents.

Methods:

Standards for medical education accreditation programs were studied, and a literature search was conducted on the topic of the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education.

Results:

Expectations for library and information services in current standards were documented, and a draft standard prepared. A comprehensive bibliography on the role of the health sciences librarian in medical education was completed, and an analysis of the services provided by health sciences librarians was created.

Conclusion:

An essential role and responsibility of the health sciences librarian will be to provide the health care professional with the skills needed to access, manage, and use library and information resources effectively. Validation and recognition of the health sciences librarian''s contributions to medical education by accrediting agencies will be critical. The opportunity lies in health sciences librarians embracing the diverse roles that can be served in this vital activity, regardless of accrediting agency mandates.In response to reported closings of and staff reductions at hospital libraries, the Medical Library Association (MLA) and the Hospital Libraries Section of MLA agreed to study the state of hospital libraries and librarians under the auspices of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians. The task force''s Health Sciences Librarian in Medical Education Task Force (METF)^* was charged with reviewing the accreditation standards regarding libraries for residency programs and with working with national organizations to integrate library services, education, and staff into the requirements for training medical students and residents.     

Exploring e-readers to support clinical medical education: two case studies

Question:

Can e-readers loaded with medical textbooks and other relevant material benefit medical students, residents, and preceptors in clinical settings?

Settings:

The settings are North Carolina community clinics served by Duke University Medical Center and St. Joseph''s Hospital in Bryan, Texas, and Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas.

Methods:

Duke University: Twenty second-year medical students and fourteen family medicine clerkship preceptors used Kindle e-readers in clinics during eight months of rotations. Students and preceptors provided feedback through an anonymous online survey. Texas A&M University: Nine fourth-year medical students in an elective compared medical textbooks in print, online, and on a Kindle. Six residents at a local hospital completed an anonymous online survey after a three-week loan of a Kindle loaded with medical textbooks.

Results:

The e-reader''s major advantages in clinical settings are portability and searchability. The selected e-reader''s limitations include connection speed, navigation, and display. User preferences varied, but online resources were preferred. Participants suggested additional uses for Kindles in medical education.

Conclusions:

The selected e-reader''s limitations may be resolved with further development of the device. Investigation of other e-readers is needed. Criteria for evaluating e-readers in clinical settings should include portability, searchability, speed, navigation, and display. Research comparing e-readers and mobile devices in clinical education is also warranted.     

Limits of search filter development

Objective

The research attempted to develop search filters for biomedical literature databases that improve retrieval of studies of clinical relevance for the nursing and rehabilitation professions.

Methods

Diagnostic testing framework compared machine-culled and practitioner-nominated search terms with a hand-tagged clinical literature database.

Results

We were unable to: (1) develop filters for nursing, likely because of the overlapping and expanding scope of practice for nurses in comparison with medical professionals, or (2) develop filters for rehabilitation, because of its broad scope and the profession''s multifaceted understanding of “health and ability.”

Conclusions

We found limitations on search filter development for these health professions: nursing and rehabilitation.     

Mapping the literature of hospital pharmacy

Objectives

This study describes the literature of hospital pharmacy and identifies the journals most commonly cited by authors in the field, the publication types most frequently cited, the age of citations, and the indexing access to core journals. The study also looks at differing citation practices between journals with a wide audience compared to a national journal with a focus on regional issues and trends in the field.

Method

Cited references from five discipline-specific source journals were collected and analyzed for publication type and age. Two sets were created for comparison. Bradford''s Law of Scattering was applied to both sets to determine the most frequently cited journals.

Results

Three-quarters of all cited items were published within the last 10 years (71%), and journal articles were the most heavily cited publication type (n=65,760, 87%). Citation analysis revealed 26 journal titles in Zone 1, 177 journal titles in Zone 2, and the remaining were scattered across 3,886 titles. Analysis of a national journal revealed Zone 1 comprised 9 titles. Comparison of the 2 sets revealed that Zone 1 titles overlapped, with the exception of 2 titles that were geographically focused in the national title.

Conclusion

Hospital pharmacy literature draws heavily from its own discipline-specific sources but equally from core general and specialty medical journals. Indexing of cited journals is complete in PubMed and EMBASE but lacking in International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. Gray literature is a significant information source in the field.     

Use and perceptions of information among family physicians: sources considered accessible,relevant, and reliable

Objectives:

The research determined (1) the information sources that family physicians (FPs) most commonly use to update their general medical knowledge and to make specific clinical decisions, and (2) the information sources FPs found to be most physically accessible, intellectually accessible (easy to understand), reliable (trustworthy), and relevant to their needs.

Methods:

A cross-sectional postal survey of 792 FPs and locum tenens, in full-time or part-time medical practice, currently practicing or on leave of absence in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan was conducted during the period of January to April 2008.

Results:

Of 666 eligible physicians, 331 completed and returned surveys, resulting in a response rate of 49.7% (331/666). Medical textbooks and colleagues in the main patient care setting were the top 2 sources for the purpose of making specific clinical decisions. Medical textbooks were most frequently considered by FPs to be reliable (trustworthy), and colleagues in the main patient care setting were most physically accessible (easy to access).

Conclusions:

When making specific clinical decisions, FPs were most likely to use information from sources that they considered to be reliable and generally physically accessible, suggesting that FPs can best be supported by facilitating easy and convenient access to high-quality information.

Highlights

• Medical textbooks were the most popular information source for family physicians'' (FPs'') clinical decision-making purposes, and medical journals were the most popular information source for the purpose of updating FPs'' general medical knowledge.
• FPs considered medical textbooks to be the most reliable (trustworthy) source, colleagues the most physically accessible, and continuing medical education the most relevant and intellectually accessible.
• The lowest ranked information sources across all four attributes were personal digital assistants, mental health professionals, pharmaceutical sales representatives, and other decision aids.

Implications

• The most popular information sources for clinical decision-making purposes among FPs were sources characterized as reliable and generally physically accessible.
• This study suggests the need for further research into interventions that target information access barriers in FPs'' practice settings and the promotion of reliable evidence for FPs'' clinical decision-making purposes.

     

Trends in hospital librarianship and hospital library services: 1989 to 2006

Objective:

The research studied the status of hospital librarians and library services to better inform the Medical Library Association''s advocacy activities.

Methods:

The Vital Pathways Survey Subcommittee of the Task Force on Vital Pathways for Hospital Librarians distributed a web-based survey to hospital librarians and academic health sciences library directors. The survey results were compared to data collected in a 1989 survey of hospital libraries by the American Hospital Association in order to identify any trends in hospital libraries, roles of librarians, and library services. A web-based hospital library report form based on the survey questions was also developed to more quickly identify changes in the status of hospital libraries on an ongoing basis.

Results:

The greatest change in library services between 1989 and 2005/06 was in the area of access to information, with 40% more of the respondents providing access to commercial online services, 100% more providing access to Internet resources, and 28% more providing training in database searching and use of information resources. Twenty-nine percent (n = 587) of the 2005/06 respondents reported a decrease in staff over the last 5 years.

Conclusions:

Survey data support reported trends of consolidation of hospitals and hospital libraries and additions of new services. These services have likely required librarians to acquire new skills. It is hoped that future surveys will be undertaken to continue to study these trends.

Highlights

• Data support reported trends in the decrease in the number of hospitals and hospital libraries.
• About 44.0% of hospitals had some level of onsite library service in 1989, compared with between 33.5% and 29.1% of hospitals in 2005/06.
• More electronic services and resources, such as Internet access and online materials, are being offered by hospital libraries, in addition to more traditional services
• Library staffing appears to be more unstable today than in 1989, with more libraries reporting a decrease in the number of staff.

Implications

• Hospital libraries continue to change in response to changes in the health care environment as health care administrators respond to financial pressures, library staff are downsized, degreed librarian positions are eliminated, and reporting structures change.
• MLA must continue to track the status of hospital librarians and libraries in light of the changing environment with surveys and other means, in partnership with others such as the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.