Supporting urgent information gathering for pandemic needs
TORONTO, ON, July 13th, 2020 – Since the pandemic began earlier this year, Health Information Librarians across Ontario have been working diligently to respond to questions Healthcare Professionals have needed evidence-based answers to. Librarians in hospitals and health institutions have become essential partners, helping Healthcare Professionals respond quickly by developing rapid COVID-19 evidence reviews that support decision making. This allowed Doctors, Nurses, Research teams and other medical experts to concentrate on providing critical patient-care and guidance.
The Health Science Information Consortium of Toronto (HSICT) is a consortium of 50 Healthcare Libraries across Ontario. It’s information experts have been gathering urgent information to meet the emerging pandemic needs, from questions around direct patient care to PPE best-practices, to quickly assessing globally dispersed and un-indexed pandemic information. Access to virtual health information databases and rapid response times have become an essential service for hospitals, clinics, academic and research institutions. That is why the Health Information Consortium is continuing to work together to disseminate information and materials. A recent survey of its members has highlighted the impact of COVID-19 and the importance of enhancing information services beyond collective purchasing and shared digital information infrastructures. Highlights include:
Health Information Librarians Continue to Support Medical Experts across Ontario with Answers to Critical COVID-19 Questions
As the pandemic continues, our Libraries will continue to provide their vital services to ensure we help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and beyond our borders. Our priority will remain supporting medical teams as they continue to respond to this public health crisis, but also as communities now begin to re-open and adapt. Our teams will be:
Source: @BDHodges1 “Does injecting bleach make sense? Is loss of smell relevant? How long is a person infectious? The information & misinformation is dizzying. @uhn and MichenerInst librarians come to the rescue! Welcome to The Science of Covid!” Twitter, 24 April 2020, https://twitter.com/BDHodges1/status/1253653113770295297