EditorialEvidence based library and information practice

Whilst many of us engage in supporting clinicians in identifying, appraising and using evidence, how many of us adopt the same approach to our own work? A recent survey by the UK LIS Research Coalition indicated that 60% of respondents use research reports as a source of information whilst a similar proportion of health library respondents use professional events such as conferences as a source of information. This summer sees the 6^th International Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP6) being held at the University of Salford, UK between 27^th‐30^th June which will go some way to satisfying this latter information need whilst the Health Information and Libraries Journal can help satisfy the need for research reports. Whatever you’re doing this summer, let’s make it evidence based.     

The relationship between national and institutional electronic library developments in the UK: An overview (1)

This paper describes the background, processes and outcomes of the European Commission funded EQUINOX project, which recommended a set of fourteen performance indicators for electronic library services. Each of the recommended indicators is described and the thinking behind them, together with issues raised during consultations with the library community in Europe, is explained. Finally, it is noted that further work will be needed to link performance indicators to new models of libraries which fully describe their roles and functions in a networked information world.     

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

Background

Health libraries contribute to many activities of a health care organisation. Impact assessment needs to capture that range of contributions.

Objectives

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.

Methods

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.

Findings

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.

Conclusions

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.     

Engaging in research: challenges and opportunities for health library and information professionals

This year's virtual issue (the 6th in the series) has been published to coincide with the European Association for Health Information and Libraries’ (EAHIL) 2015 workshop (10–12 June, Edinburgh): Research‐Minded: Understanding, Supporting, Conducting Research. This event is being run in collaboration with the International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists and the International Clinical Librarian Conference. Although research has always been a central part of any librarian's role, until recently health librarians and library users and funding bodies assumed that librarians were ‘midwives’ – there to assist students, clinicians, academics and managers set up and carry out their research. The notion of the librarian as a professional with a research agenda, who understands research methods, submits research grants, and publishes, is a relatively new perspective. If librarians are to take an evidence‐based approach to their profession they need to acquire research skills. This is the rationale for the 2015 EAHIL workshop. To support the workshop, this virtual issue contains six original articles published in Health Information and Libraries Journal over the last 2 years that demonstrate the range of research activities carried out by health librarians, as well as a review article and articles from each of the three feature columns. All articles included in this virtual issue are available free online.     

Meeting the challenges of clinical information provision

This virtual issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) has been compiled to mark the 5th International Clinical Librarian Conference 2011. In considering the challenges of clinical information provision, the content selected for the virtual issue offers an international flavour of clinical information provision and covers a variety of different facets of clinical librarianship. The issue broadly covers the areas of information needs and preferences, clinical librarian roles and services, and education and training, and reflects the way in which a normal issue of the HILJ would be presented. This includes a review article, a collection of original articles, and the three regular features which comprise International Perspectives and Initiatives, Learning and Teaching in Action, and Using Evidence in Practice. All papers included in this virtual issue are available free online.     

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.     

A national survey of UK health libraries investigating the cost of interlibrary loan services and assessing the accessibility to key orthopaedic journals

Background: NHS Library Services are utilised by NHS staff and junior trainees to locate scientific papers that provide them with the evidence base required for modern medical practice. The cost of accessing articles can be considerable particularly for junior trainees. Objectives: This survey looks at variations in cost of journal article loans and investigates access to particular orthopaedic journals across the country. Methods: A national survey of UK Health Libraries was performed. Access to and costs of journals and interlibrary loan services were assessed. Availability of five wide‐reaching orthopaedic journals was investigated. Results: Seven hundred and ten libraries were identified. One hundred and ten libraries completed the questionnaire (16.7%). Of these, 96.2% reported free access to scientific journals for users. 99.1% of libraries used interlibrary loan services with 38.2% passing costs on to the user at an average of £2.99 per article. 72.7% of libraries supported orthopaedic services. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (British) had greatest onsite availability. Conclusions: The study demonstrates fluctuations in cost of access to interlibrary loan services and variation in access to important orthopaedic journals. It provides a reflection of current policy of charging for the acquisition of medical evidence by libraries in the UK.     

Evidence based library and information practice in Australia: defining skills and knowledge

This guest feature from Suzanne Lewis, a long-time advocate of evidence based library and information practice (EBLIP) in Australia, discusses a current trend within the movement that focuses on the skills, knowledge and competencies of health librarians. In particular, the feature describes three specific Australia-based research projects, on expert searching, indigenous health and future skills requirements for the health library workforce respectively, that exemplify this trend. These projects illustrate how the evidence base can be strengthened around the skills and knowledge required to deliver services that continue to meet the changing needs of health library and information users.     

重新定义图书馆与图书资讯学

本文讨论图书馆、图书资讯服务与图书资讯学的新意义。     

International trends in health science librarianship part 17: a comparison of health science libraries with academic and research libraries

Over the last 4 years this Regular Feature has looked at trends in health science librarianship in the 21st century. Although there are still a few more regions to be covered in this series, this issue explores general trends in academic and research libraries with a view to discovering whether the trends identified for health science libraries are similar. Are health science libraries unique? Or do their experiences mirror those found in the wider world of academic and research libraries? JM     

Effectiveness of bibliographic searches performed by paediatric residents and interns assisted by librarians. A randomised controlled trial

Background: Considerable barriers still prevent paediatricians from successfully using information retrieval technology. Objectives: To verify whether the assistance of biomedical librarians significantly improves the outcomes of searches performed by paediatricians in biomedical databases using real‐life clinical scenarios. Methods: In a controlled trial at a paediatric teaching hospital, nine residents and interns were randomly allocated to an assisted search group and nine to a non‐assisted (control) group. Each participant searched Pub Med and other online sources, performing pre‐determined tasks including the formulation of a clinical question, retrieval and selection of bibliographic records. In the assisted group, participants were supported by a librarian with ≥5 years of experience. The primary outcome was the success of search sessions, scored against a specific assessment tool. Results: The median score of the assisted group was 73.6 points interquartile range (IQR = 13.4) vs. 50.4 (IQR = 17.1) of the control group. The difference between median values in the results was 23.2 points (95% CI 4.8–33.2), in favour of the assisted group (P‐value, Mann–Whitney U test: 0.013). Conclusions: The study has found quantitative evidence of a significant difference in search performance between paediatric residents or interns assisted by a librarian and those searching the literature alone.     

Outreach services in healthcare libraries: perceptions and impacts

Outreach services are becoming more prevalent throughout the health library sector both in the UK and abroad, and they have the potential to impact on information support for evidence‐based medicine. This article reports on a study which explored the perceptions of UK health library staff about the term ‘outreach’ and demonstrated that a variety of services are being offered under this umbrella term. Whilst practitioners are also divided over the impact of outreach services, many of them see this as key to future service developments. The study was completed by Rebecca Dorsett as part of her MSc in Information and Library Management at Northumbria University. She was supervised by Sue Childs and graduated in 2012 with a Distinction. Rebecca is now due to commence a new role as Information Support Officer for the Ministry of Defence. AM     

The role of the health information professional

This virtual issue has been published to mark the CILIP Health Libraries Group 2014 Conference, taking place in Oxford on 24th and 25th July 2014. The issue's theme is to highlight the key role of the health information professional and it shines a spotlight on professional expertise, demonstrating what we can share and learn from each other. It comprises a collection of articles published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal during the last 2 years but is very much about looking forward. The articles selected embrace three main themes: new ways of working; acquiring new skills and competencies; and fine‐tuning existing skills and practices. The virtual issue mirrors the format of the regular journal, namely a review article, six original articles and the three regular features, covering Dissertations into Practice, International Perspectives and Initiatives and Learning and Teaching in Action. All articles included in this virtual issue are available free online.     

Evidence-based information-seeking skills of junior doctors entering the workforce: an evaluation of the impact of information literacy training during pre-clinical years

Objectives: To investigate the extent to which junior doctors in their first clinical positions retained information literacy skills taught as part of their undergraduate education. Method: Participants drawn from different training cohorts were interviewed about their recall of the instruction they had received, and their confidence in retrieving and evaluating information for clinical decision making. They completed a search based on a scenario related to their speciality. Their self‐assessment of their competency in conducting and evaluating a search was compared with an evaluation of their skills by an experienced observer. Results: Most participants recalled the training they received but had not retained high‐level search skills, and lacked skills in identifying and applying best evidence. There was no apparent link between the type of training given and subsequent skill level. Those whose postgraduate education required these skills were more successful in retrieving and appraising information. Conclusion: Commitment to evidence‐based medicine from clinicians at all levels in the profession is needed to increase the information seeking skills of clinicians entering the work force.     

Health care librarians and information literacy: an investigation

Until relatively recently, the concept of information literacy, and teaching the skills to enable it, was mainly a concern of academic libraries. Now, it is also seen to be of high importance within the context of health care libraries. Health care libraries and librarians can provide crucial support towards the implementation of evidence‐based practice in patient care through both information literacy skills training and by conducting mediated searches on behalf of health care practitioners. This article reports the findings from an investigation conducted by Charlotte Kelham as part of her MA in Librarianship from the University of Sheffield. Her dissertation investigated how health care librarians understand the concept of information literacy, the implications of this for their role and their perceptions around how their role is valued. Charlotte graduated from Sheffield in 2013 and is currently job hunting. AM     

Context and learning: the value and limits of library‐based information literacy teaching

This month's regular feature will discuss some of the implications for library‐based information literacy teaching that have emerged from a HEA‐funded research project conducted at De Montfort University. It is argued that information literacy teaching as it has evolved in a university setting, while having a greater degree of relevance and value than ever before, nevertheless has inherent limits when it comes to its transferability beyond the academy and into a workplace setting. HS     

Evidence‐based medicine: is the evidence out there for primary care clinicians?

Background: Finding evidence to answer clinical questions is essential to the practice of evidence‐based medicine (EBM). However, practising EBM in primary care is thought to be problematic because of concerns about whether evidence exists to answer specific questions. Objectives: To determine the highest level of evidence per question; to ascertain the number of questions unanswered because of a lack of evidence; to establish the frequency with which guidelines answered questions; and to determine the domain of websites used to answer questions. Methods: Clinical questions were identified from two primary care answering services: ATTRACT and National Library for Health (NLH) Primary Care Answering Service. The types of evidence used to answer the question were noted, including whether this was from systematic reviews or meta‐analyses (level one evidence) or from randomised controlled trials (level two). The data were collected from March to June 2008. Results: Level 1 or level 2 evidence answered 11% of questions. Sixteen per cent were unanswered because of a lack of evidence. Over 40% of questions were answered using guidelines. Forty‐three per cent of questions were answered with one type of evidence and 24% with two. Conclusion: Guidelines are useful resources for primary care clinicians, answering two‐fifths of questions.