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Listed alphabetically by presenter (in bold). Health Information for Pima County Public Health Nurses
The Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL) conducted a 6-month project working with public health officials in Pima (urban) and Cochise (rural) Counties to better understand the information-seeking behaviors of public health professionals, to identify their information needs, and to begin to develop an infrastructure to satisfy those needs. The project results demonstrated that public health nurses in Pima County have a great need for information, but that need was not being adequately met. As a result of those findings, AHSL and the Pima County public health nurses received grant funding from the National Library of Medicine to begin to build an information infrastructure and enhance the nurses information seeking capability by providing the hardware, access to the Internet, and training on web-based health information resources to bring them into the 21st century. This paper looks at different aspects of the project and what has been accomplished to date. Conducting an Information Needs Assessment: Qualitative and Quantitative Data
The UCLA IAIMS InfoShare Planning project conducted focus groups and a follow-up survey for faculty, staff, and students to assess the information needs in the UCLA Academic Health Sciences Center. The AHSC includes the medical center, the health professional schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, and public health, and the biomedical institutes including basic science departments. The purpose of assessing information needs was to inform planning for an IAIMS implementation proposal. We categorized the needs identified in the focus groups by function, analyzed them, and prepared de-identified extracts from the focus group transcripts. The resulting report contained rich, qualitative data. The next step was to quantify the extent of the needs by conducting a broader based survey of the faculty staff, and students. The paper describes the process for conducting the focus groups and analyzing the qualitative data gathered. In addition, the paper describes the process of developing the survey, administering it, and analyzing the resulting data. We will describe responsibilities within the InfoShare organization, problems encountered, and the solutions found to be effective for gathering both qualitative and quantitative data. Finally, we will discuss the relative merits of gathering data via focus groups and via surveys, summarize our findings, and explain the next steps. Access to Electronic Health Information: A Middle School and Medical Library Partnership
In February 1999, NLM announced the availability of funds for projects with a focus on providing access to electronic health information. The UCSD Medical Center Library was eager to participate in this project but was particularly interested in focusing on the underserved. As the Medical Center Library sought out potential partners, it was fortunate to find one right in its own backyard. For many years, UCSD had been vitally interested in partnering with the city of San Diego to create a "model" or "charter" school. Happily, on March 30, 1999 groundbreaking ceremonies launched The Preuss School UCSD as the only charter school in the state to be established on a college campus. The school currently has an enrollment of over 400 students in grades 6-9. Approximately 60% of the students are Hispanic and 25% are African-American. Public health professionals agree that ongoing health promotion and education among pre-teens and adolescents in the United States has not been a consistently high priority. Thus, the primary goal of the collaboration between the Preuss School and the UCSD Medical Center Library was to integrate health information into the curriculum of the school. The objectives used to accomplish this goal, involved training for over 250 students along with the school faculty and administrators. Further outreach opportunities involved demonstrations for parents and local school librarians. Training materials were developed along with a highly interactive web site, which features some of the best health information available on the Web for kids, parents and faculty. Scores of students participated in a health information competition and were recognized at the school's year- end Awards Ceremony. Working Without A Mesh: New Approaches in MEDLINE Instruction to Clinicians
This paper describes an initiative by the University of Nevada School of Medicine Division of Medical Informatics to provide instruction to a cohort of medical residents. Driven by a recognition that residents need to improve their effectiveness and efficiency in retrieving clinical information in real-time while caring for patients, the study prospectively evaluates a locally designed educational intervention involving Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residents. The intervention centers on brief, focused, on-site interaction between faculty facilitators and individual residents to bring about sustained improvement in their information retrieval skills. Because clinicians and librarians have different search expectations and operate under different constraints, the training is adapted specifically to meet clinical exigencies. In a departure from conventional approaches, training takes place not in the classroom, but in the clinic in conjunction with actual patient encounters. A key aspect is a de-emphasis on mastery of search system mechanics and use of Mesh Headings. The intervention stresses speed and simplicity, and concentrates on developing the ability to translate a clinical scenario into a concise Boolean phrase, independent of search system mechanics. eReference: Pushing the Limits of Traditional Reference
The UC Irvine Libraries have utilized innovative solutions for the enhancement and expansion of reference service between the libraries on main campus and Medical Center including experimentation with audio and video technology. For four years the UC Irvine Libraries have had a successful e-mail reference service named "Ask a Librarian". Ask a Librarian e-mail reference service has grown significantly. Despite the fact that questions are guaranteed an answer within 24 hours, the Ask a Librarian team desired a real-time digital reference service that could provide an immediate response to user questions. In the summer of 2000 the team agreed to participate in an evaluation and test of Web-collaborative software (WebLine, eGain). These products support chat and interactive Web page sharing. The capability to provide real-time digital reference gave the librarians opportunity to guide and instruct patrons in the use of online resources. As participants in the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (MCLS) 24/7 Reference Project, we began offering a real-time digital reference service through a pilot project in August of 2001. Based on the information collected, a second, campus-wide pilot took place September-December 2001. We plan to continue this pilot through the first quarter of 2002 by expanding the hours and publicity. In addition, we will begin testing other real-time digital reference packages (Library Systems and Services (LSSI), Convey etc.) to expand access to restricted resources. Information Seeking Behavior of Health Sciences Population Groups
This paper reports on the Information Usage Survey developed and administered by the USC Norris Medical Library in order to refine its information resource selection, instruction, and utilization. Setting: An academic medical library serving the University's School of Medicine, Physician Assistant Program, School of Pharmacy, School of Occupational Therapy, and School of Physical Therapy. Description: The survey is designed to elicit feedback on the use of information resources. Questions include 1) information seeking reasons, i.e. class assignments, patient care, 2) frequency of resource use, i.e. electronic books, library's Web site, 3) perceived resource usefulness, 4) level of resource use comfort, and 5) perceived resource instruction need. Year I, II, and III medical students, Year I and II pharmacy students, and Year I physician's assistant students have completed the survey. Year I and II occupational therapy and physical therapy students, and the School of Medicine faculty will complete it soon. Results: Preliminary results indicate that a significant portion of the library's targeted user population underutilizes certain categories of information resources. Evaluation: Data evaluation will contribute to the library's resource development strategies and decisions, will identify resources in need of additional promotion, and will assist in determining topics to be included in the library's instructional workshops. Survey responses from students in different years within each health sciences program will be compared to one another to consider changes in information seeking behavior at differing stages of students' education. Conclusions will be shared with faculty representatives to aid in curriculum planning and revision. A usability study of the official web site of the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the Medical Library Association (MLA) A preliminary report
The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the Medical Library Association (MLA) first launched its web site in 1996. The CAPHIS Executive Committee under the leadership of the past chair, Michele Spatz, decided to redesign the web, and the new CAPHIS web site was debuted on May 1, 2000. In order to assess the usability and effectiveness of the CAPHIS web site, Ms. Spatz has invited the School of Library and Information Science, San José State University (SJSU/SLIS), to conduct a research project. The primary investigator (PI) is Dr. Feili Tu. Two graduate research assistants and the fall 2001 Libr220-01 Medical Libraries & Reference class taught by the PI are assisting in creating the research protocol and handling the procedures. This project is designed to study the usability, readability, and ease of use features of the web site and each individual page. An investigation of the experience of professionals and lay persons is built in to the research protocol because the target audience of the CAPHIS web site consists of both of these groups. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches will be applied in this study. Data collection methods include a survey, interviews, a readability study, and a focus group study. The expected timetable will be the fall semester of 2001 (August 27th - December 11th, 2001). The results will reveal strengths and weaknesses of the CAPHIS web site regarding usability and will provide suggestions for improvements. Archival collection organization and service line development in a hospital library setting
Purpose: This paper will report on a large hospital library's acquisition of a number of archival collections, the challenges and opportunities in organization and access to these collections. Library staff have developed a new service line providing institutional historic research and continue to develop web-based delivery of archival information to a broad-based user population. Setting/Participants/Resources: California Pacific Medical Center is a multi-campus hospital located in San Francisco. The Health Sciences Library is a large facility which supports an additional hospital library and two other small resource centers located at remote locations. The library also serves the UOP School of Dentistry, located across the street from the facility. Brief Description: Recently, library staff were presented with a large amount of archival materials in an unorganized and unpreserved state. Library staff learned principles of archival preservation and organization, networked with archival experts, joined professional archival associations, secured funding for organization and preservation from a variety of sources and recruited staff with archival competency to complete the organization and preservation process. Results/Outcome: Library staff gained knowledge in access and preservation of historical of materials in a variety of formats. Library staff also gained experience in development and marketing of a new service line as well as leveraging a forum for exploration of utilization of new methodologies in organization and delivery of archival information using web-based technologies. Evaluation Method: Statistics are compiled on utilization of the service as well as analysis of access patterns of web site pages providing gateways to archival information. LOANSOME DOC for the Consumer: Year One
The National Library of Medicine has made great strides in making clinical medical information available to the public, beginning with the 1997 introduction of free Internet Grateful Med and PubMed. What has remained difficult for many consumers is the acquisition of full-text journal articles. A search of the National Library of Medicine database of libraries offering Loansome Doc, its on-line document ordering service, indicates that twenty-one California libraries provide Loansome Doc services to the general public; however, some of those institutions' policies - pricing, pre-paid accounts, etc. - serve as barriers to many potential users. Redwood Health Library, a consumer health library in Northern California, began offering low-cost Loansome Doc services to the general public in September of 2000, with the goal of making the process as user-friendly as possible. This paper describes our first year of experience as a Loansome Doc provider - the benefits and pitfalls -- as well as the results of a survey of our Loansome Doc users conducted in April of 2001. Thus far, Loansome Doc services have produced a small profit without a large increase in workload; it has also made clinical literature available to a wider audience, the composition of which has resulted in some surprises. Hispanic Health Information Outreach Services
Purpose: This presentation will discuss Hispanic American population characteristics, Federal initiatives and resources that serve to contribute to the reduction and elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities, and Hispanic health information outreach strategies that are based upon behavior change theory and cultural competency principles. Setting/Participants/Resources: In 2000, the United States Census Bureau estimated that one in eight Americans were of Hispanic/Latino origin, while, approximately, 75% of the Hispanic American population resided in the Southern and Western regions of the United States at 43 and 33 percents respectively. Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, accounted for the highest state percentages of Hispanic residents in the nation. Distribution of Hispanic communities correlates highly with level of care: communities with large numbers of Hispanic residents are four times more likely to have a shortage of physicians regardless of community income. Despite coordinated efforts to eliminate health disparities, many barriers still exist to obtain high quality health care in the U.S., including a lack of health insurance for 33 percent of the Hispanic population. For many Hispanics, economic and socio-cultural factors are major influences that affect both health and health information-seeking behaviors. Brief Description: Effective Hispanic health information outreach services require the design and evaluation of socio-culturally tailored interventions. The application of behavior change theory and Federal resources relevant to the reduction of health disparities and cultural competency can serve to improve the quality, visibility, and efficacy of health information outreach services aimed at Hispanic audiences. Through ethnic-specific outreach service development, medical librarians have an opportunity to serve a vital role in the reduction and elimination of Hispanic health disparities. Culturally appropriate health information outreach services can facilitate information access and literacy skills, promote original health disparity research, and improve health education opportunities among multiple Hispanic target audiences.
Email us at: jtmtg2002@yahoo.com |
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