Hospital Librarians Meet the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States in early 2020, it caused an information explosion in the health science literature. Researchers wanted to share their results quickly, so they utilized sources that were not indexed in conventional databases. Hospital librarians stepped up to meet the information and public health challenges of the pandemic. They developed alternate strategies to provide services and resources remotely at a time when their physical libraries were closed to comply with the need for social distancing and compliance with public health recommendations.

Improving Nurses' Skills and Supporting a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice.

Evidence-based practice is critical to hospitals achieving high quality performance measures, improving patient outcomes, and reducing mortality and costs. Nurses who perform evidence-based care report greater job satisfaction, which leads to less turnover or occupational burnout. Librarians play an essential role in establishing an evidence-based culture in their organizations and supporting the nursing staff so that they are not only competent, but also confident in meeting evidence-based competencies. Action steps librarians can take include augmenting their collections with evidence-based resources, collaborating with staff to help them find the best evidence, and assisting with the first four steps of the evidence-based practice model.