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.

Hospital librarianship in the United States: at the crossroads.

This paper examines recent developments in hospital librarianship in the United States, including the current status of hospital-based clinical library services. Several examples of hospital library services are presented that demonstrate some characteristics of struggling and thriving services. The implications of the informationist concept are considered. The continuation of the hospital librarian's primary role in support of patient care is explored, as core competencies are reexamined for relevancy in the new millennium.