Health Libraries are vital to effective clinical decision making and patient care
TORONTO, ON, Aug. 6, 2024
Evidence based practice is important in any clinical setting but trusted evidence and information is difficult to find. The Health Library and its health information professionals provide robust and engaging programs at hospitals, especially at teaching institutions, so that clinicians, staff and students can stay current on the latest evidence-based information available, new surgical and disease discoveries, and changing accreditation and compliance measures for hospitals, just to name a few.
Although some libraries still offer access to print materials and physical spaces, these libraries are also virtual with numerous resources and support services that are delivered entirely online. The impact on their health institution and its community are numerous:
Patient Outcomes and Experience
Health libraries support patients and their families with both in person and virtual services.
High quality clinical decision making
By providing quality evidenced based materials supported by effective training, instruction and ,when necessary, search expertise, health information professionals directly impact an organization's outcomes. Better informed practitioners provide more impactful care.
Reducing costs and risks
Using search experts who can generate quality results more quickly reduces cost and focuses clinicians on patient care. Physicians agree using health information professionals also contributed to their ability to avoid the following: hospital admission, patient mortality, hospital-acquired infection, surgery, and additional tests or procedures.
Education and engaging learners
Students utilize virtual resources as well as the physical library space, computers, content/resources and technology to meet the demands of their course work and residency.
Clinicians rely on health information professionals to have more expert literature searching and materials acquisition for research projects. Their effective support in designing research projects can direct the project in a more impactful direction.
Supporting accreditation, compliance and performance
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