Education for inpatients: working with nurses through the clinical information system

Librarians at the UMDNJ Cooper Library have been filling orders for patient education materials through Cooper University Hospital's Clinical Information System (CIS) since December 2000. This service was instituted in response to a JCAHO survey, which revealed that although patient education was being provided, it was not being routinely documented. Patient education orders fall into two categories: customized disease/procedure information and smoking cessation information. Nurses note the condition(s) and/or procedure(s) regarding which information is needed and indicate the education level of the material desired (basic, intermediate or advanced). Requests are received via a dedicated printer in the reference office. Librarians rely heavily upon a wide variety of Web-based consumer health resources, including proprietary resources such as MD Consult and Micromedex CareNotes. Patient Transport staff delivers two copies of all materials to nursing stations on patient care floors. One copy is for the patient to keep, while the other is attached to the patient's chart. To complete and document that patient education was provided, librarians record the order as filled in the CIS system.     

LEARNING AND DOING: THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE-LEARNING IN GERONTOLOGY

Service-learning is an approach to teaching and learning that has great potential for gerontology. The articles in this special issue present a wealth of conceptual and practical information about how to create service-learning opportunities, manage them effectively, and evaluate them appropriately. This article identifies several common themes in the articles and offers an administrative perspective on the role and value of service-learning.     

A synthesis of read-aloud interventions on early reading outcomes among preschool through third graders at risk for reading difficulties

A synthesis and meta-analysis of the extant research on the effects of storybook read-aloud interventions for children at risk for reading difficulties ages 3 to 8 is provided. A total of 29 studies met criteria for the synthesis, with 18 studies providing sufficient data for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Read-aloud instruction has been examined using dialogic reading; repeated reading of stories; story reading with limited questioning before, during, and/or after reading; computer-assisted story reading; and story reading with extended vocabulary activities. Significant, positive effects on children's language, phonological awareness, print concepts, comprehension, and vocabulary outcomes were found. Despite the positive effects for read-aloud interventions, only a small amount of outcome variance was accounted for by intervention type.     

Characteristics of General Education Reading Interventions Implemented in Elementary Schools for Students with Reading Difficulties

The implementation of response to intervention requires interventions for struggling students be provided through general education prior to referral for special education. We surveyed elementary teachers (K-3) in one state to examine the characteristics of the supplemental reading interventions that their students receive through general education. Findings reveal differences between grade levels in the amount of time interventions are provided to students, the providers of the intervention, and the material selection for the interventions. No differences between grade levels were noted in the frequency of intervention or instructional group sizes. Three-quarters of the teachers reported providing the supplemental interventions to students in their class. The findings provide insight into the resources utilized by schools to implement supplemental interventions.     

Online Searching for Information on Medical Devices

Librarians located in a 560-bed, inner city academic medical center with 25,000 + admissions per year planned and opened a Patient and Family Education Center (PFEC) in the lobby of a new patient care pavilion. A review of use in the first 19 months revealed that expected needs were being met while a variety of unexpected needs were identified. Ongoing use continues to be monitored by a detailed log of patron visits maintained by library staff. This article describes the evolution of the Patient and Family Education Center, outreach to the hospital community, and plans for the future.     

Professional development for iPad integration in general education: Staying ahead of the curve

This faculty development case study focuses on a team of 16 General Education faculty at an urban women’s college during the initial 6 months of the college’s comprehensive implementation of an iPad teaching and learning environment. This article traces the effectiveness of an iPad professional development program through analyses of critical feedback, and makes recommendations for learner-centered faculty development for iPads in Higher Education. We present our conceptual framework, guiding principles and iPad professional development program. The effects of the program were measured using thematic and content analysis of post-session interviews, participant observation, one-to-one interviews and an online discussion forum. The predominant themes were anxiety, having individual needs considered, time considerations, and fundamental questions about expectations in the mobile learning environment. The key recommendation are to attend to collaborative planning, intervention, facilitating authentic professional learning communities and timing of faculty development that is intended to result in integration of new learning tools and environments.     

Design of Online Professional Development in Science Content and Pedagogy: A Pilot Study in Florida

The Exploring Florida Science project goals were: (1) increasing content knowledge of secondary science teachers, specifically in topics that are important to the future of the state, and (2) providing secondary science students with digital media for use in project-based learning. A team of instructional designers, educators, scientists, web designers and teacher educators designed an online professional development environment. Needs analysis included identification of the high incidence topics on the state science achievement test and topics of socio-scientific importance in the state. Development followed tenets of design-based research, and was guided by E-Learning for Educators standards and evaluated for content, pedagogy and usability using rubrics based on established guidelines. This paper details design, development, and evaluation frameworks, and summarizes pilot testing outcomes.     

The value of library and information services in patient care: results of a multisite study

Objective:

The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care.

Methods:

The study used: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care.

Results:

Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%).

Conclusions:

Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.

Highlights

• Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care.
• Electronic access to information resources from multiple locations has increased the ability of health professionals to use these resources for improved patient care.
• The roles of librarians are diversifying to include management of electronic resources, user instruction and support, specialized research and clinical information search services, and involvement in institution-level quality improvement.
• It is possible to conduct a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library services on patient care.

Implications

• Ongoing studies of the value and impact of library and information resources will be important for advocacy and quality improvement.
• Community-Based Participative Research methods hold promise as a way of ensuring the relevance of future research.

     

Kindergarten Scores,Storytelling, Executive Function,and Motivation Improved through Literacy-Rich Guided Play

This study explored the effects of literacy-rich sociodramatic guided play on kindergarten student literacy performance and behavior. Kindergarten students of varying socioeconomic status attending two elementary schools in the same school district participated in this repeated measures, counterbalanced design study. Students received the mandated grade-level literacy instruction with a supplemental 15 min block of time designated for play-based literacy integration during which the intervention took place. During this short time, students working in small groups were given materials (miniature items, toys, letter tiles) to practice initial letter sounds and consonant–vowel–consonant rhyming word families using either an assigned activity (control condition) or a student-invented game that practiced the same literacy concepts (experimental activity). Students instructed through the experimental condition scored significantly better on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) assessment with a medium effect size. Additional positive academic results included practice in story-composing, sequencing ideas into a complex cause and effect chain of events; application of new vocabulary; repeated practice of phonics and phonemic awareness skills to new examples; self-regulation of emotions; communication and negotiation with peers; and imagination, fantasy, humor, and creativity. Students evidenced preference for the experimental condition, continuing to repeat their games during recess or free time and to record them in their journals. Examples of student-generated literacy games are provided.