Transcript Myths and Truths About Library Services - MLA

Myths
and TRUTHS
about Library Services
Myth: Quality of Patient Care is Unaffected
by Library Services
TRUTH:
 Research has shown that libraries improve
patient care
 Weightman states:
“Research studies suggest professionally led
library services have an impact on health
outcomes for patients and may lead to time
savings for health-care professionals.”
Source

Weightman AL, Williamson J. The value
and impact of information provided
through library services for patient care:
a systematic review. Health Information
And Libraries Journal 2005;22(1):4-25.
Myth: Most Patients Value their Doctor’s
Opinion over other
Sources of Information
TRUTH:

Of the 278 million Internet
searches conducted every
day, 12.5 million are healthrelated.

Patients are becoming better
informed about their health
and want their doctors and
nurses to have access to
current research.
Sources

Eysenbach G. The impact of the Internet
on cancer outcomes. CA Cancer J Clin
2003; 53:356-371.

McMullan M. Patients using the Internet
to obtain health information: How this
affects the patient-health professional
relationship. Patient Educ Couns 2006.
Myth: Everything is available for Free on
the Internet
TRUTH:


Only 30% of the medical literature is
freely available on the Web or less than
one-quarter of the medical and
biomedical journals are freely available.
Only 60% of the article content
published since 1992 is available
electronically.
Source

McVeigh ME, Pringle JK. Open access to
the medical literature: how much content is
available in published journals? Serials
2005 Mar; 18(1):45-49.

Miccioli, G. Researching medical literature
on the Internet -- 2005 Update. [cited 26
Sep 2006].
http://www.llrx.com/features/medical2005.htm
Myth: The Internet is a Highly Reliable
Source of Information
TRUTH:

There is an overwhelming
amount of information on
the Internet, but people
need information training
and skills to understand
what constitutes valid
information.
Training
a librarian provides
Myth: Google Scholar Is an All Encompassing
Database
TRUTH:

Google and other Internet search engines
access only 7% of available health-related
information.

Google and other Internet search engines
cannot perform searches using a controlled
vocabulary and extensive limits and do not
search databases that reside behind firewalls
or sites requiring internal searches.
Source

Henderson J. Google scholar: A source
for clinicians?
CMAJ 2005;172(12):1549-1550.
Myth: Today’s Health Care Professionals
are Savvy Information Seekers
TRUTH:
Many recent studies have shown that a majority of health
care professionals do not have:
 Time to seek information
 Searchers find what they need less then 50% of the time. Feldman
(2003)
 Training to do expert searches
 Many healthcare professionals may waste hours wading through
utterly useless information. Darves (2004)
 Knowledge of multiple information resources
 Workers duplicate information 90% of the time. Feldman (2003)
Sources

Darves B. Strategic searching. Med Net
2004;10(5):1-4.

Feldman S. Enterprise search
technology: information disasters and
the high cost of not finding information.
Portals Mag 2004:27-28.
Myth: Physicians and nurses can quickly find
the same information as a librarian
TRUTH:

Information retrieval is a complicated, time
consuming, multi-step process

Librarians are more proficient searchers,
reducing the time spent on information
retrieval and evaluating search results
Sources

Darves B. Strategic Searching. Med Net
2004;10(5):1-4.

Williams L, Zipperer L. Improving
access to information: librarians and
nurses team up for patient safety. Nurs
Econ 2003;21(4):199-201.
Myth: Technology has replaced librarians
TRUTH:

Databases vary in their
design, currency,
content and search
features. In some cases,
print resources might
still be the best option.

Librarians are trained to
extract information from
a wide variety of
electronic and print
sources.
Sources

Craig JV, Smith RL. The evidence-based practice
manual for nurses. London: Churchill Livingstone;
2002.
 Feldman S. Enterprise search technology:
information disasters and the high cost of not
finding information. Portals Mag 2004:27-28.
 Gorman PN, Ash J, Wykoff L. Can primary care
physicians' questions be answered using the
medical journal literature? Bull Med Libr Assoc
1994;82(2):140-6.
 Perkins E. Johns Hopkins’ Tragedy: Could
Librarians Have Prevented a Death?
infotoday.com 2001.
Myth: Money will be saved if there is no
physical collection
TRUTH:
 The institution will no longer meet the
IM.5 JCAHO standard.
 The hospital may no longer be eligible
for interlibrary loan and may have to
purchase materials, or use commercial
document delivery services, increasing
costs.
Source

Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations. CMAH
comprehensive accreditation manual for
hospitals: the official handbook. Illinois,
Oakbrook Terrace: JCAHO, 2006.
Myth: Electronic resources require no onsite administration
TRUTH:
Administration of electronic journals is one of
the most work-intensive aspects of providing
library services:
 Negotiating Licensing Agreements
 Maintaining Serials Management Systems
 Fixing Technical Problems
 Continual Training
Sources

Ashcroft L, McIvor S. Electronic journals:
managing and educating for a changing
culture in academic libraries. Online Inf Rev
2001;25(6):378-387.

Tenopir C. Moving toward electronic journals.
Libr J 2000;125(12):36,38.

Woodward H. Electronic journals: myths and
realities. OCLC Sys & Serv 1997.;13(4):144 151.
Myth: Electronic resources can be
managed easily by IT departments
TRUTH:

Library/Information Science and
Information Systems professionals have
different roles.
- IT professionals are concerned with
logistics and security.

Library/ Information professionals are
concerned with content and access
Myth: Database purchases cost the same
with or without a librarian
TRUTH:

Librarians are trained to select the best
databases by comparing content, usability,
functionality and cost. They may actually save
money for the institution.

Librarians join consortiums for greater
purchasing power. By negotiating in a
consortium, cost savings are greatly
increased.
Source

Bergstrom TC. Free labor for costly
journals? J Econ Perspect
2001;15(4):183-198.
Myth: One database can supply all needed
journal articles
TRUTH:

No one database offers access to all available
electronic journals–in fact, there is little overlap
between databases.
 Proprietary databases include few, if any, Open
Access journals.
 Many authoritative sources are still only
available in print.
 Librarians have the training to access and
organize journals from a variety of databases.
Source

King D. After migration to an electronic
journal collection: Impact on faculty and
doctoral students. D-Lib Magazine
2002;8:212.
Myth: Evidence-based medicine can be
practiced with point-of-care software
TRUTH:

The purpose of Point-of-Care software is to
provide quick reference to summaries for
answers to common clinical questions.

Complex questions are not appropriate for
Point-of-Care software and quality, content
and currency varies by product.
Source

Glanville J, Lefebvre C. Identifying
systematic reviews: key resources. Evid
Based Med 2000;5:68-69.
Myth: Libraries and librarians are not
essential for evidence-based medicine
TRUTH:



EBM cannot be practiced without library
resources and librarians-”expertise in
refining the search question and then
producing and evaluating relevant results
rests with the medical librarian”—Nursing
Economics, 2003
“Difficult MEDLINE searches require the
skills of librarians trained in evidence-based
methods…” – Annals of Emergency
Medicine, 2002
Answers to complex clinical questions
require access to primary literature.
Sources

Williams L, Zipperer L. Patient safety.
Improving access to information:
librarians and nurses team up for patient
safety. Nurs Econ 2003 Jul-Aug; 21(4):
199-201.

Gallagher PE, Allen TY, Wyer PC. How to
find evidence when you need it, part 3: A
clinician's guide to MEDLINE: Tricks and
special skills. Ann Emerg Med
2002;39(5):547-551.
Myth: There are no regulations regarding
library services
TRUTH:
Both the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations and the Medical Library Association have
regulations and standards. For more information, see:
 JCAHO IM.5.10 Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations. CAMH: comprehensive
accreditation manual for hospitals: the official handbook.
Oakbrook Terrace, IL: JCAHO, 2006.
 Standards for Hospital Libraries, Medical Library
Association, 2004.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=128964
Myth: Libraries are a luxury only a few
hospitals can afford
TRUTH:
When MEDLINE searches are conducted early in
hospitalization; hospital costs, charges and lengths of stay
are significantly lower then those whose searches are
conducted later.
These organizations drive the need for quality library
services:
 State Medical Association Continuing Education
Committees
 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
 American Nurses’ Accrediting Center (changed order)
 Medical Library Association Benchmarking Network
Source

Klein MS, Ross FV, Adams DL, Gilbert
CM. Effect of online literature searching
on length of stay and patient-care costs.
Acad Med 1994;69(6):489-495.
Myth: Closing the library will save money
TRUTH:

Information provided by
librarians decrease
unnecessary diagnostic tests,
affect treatment decisions
and improve patient care.

Librarians improve
proficiency by providing easy
access to information.
Sources

Cuddy TM. Value of hospital libraries: the Fuld Campus
study. J Med Libr Assoc 2005;93(4):446-449.

Gluck JC, Hassig RA. Raising the bar: the importance of
hospital library standards in the continuing medical
education accreditation process. Bull Med Libr Assoc
2001;89(3):272-276.

Klein MS, Ross FV, Adams DL, Gilbert CM. Effect of online
literature searching on length of stay and patient-care costs.
Acad Med 1994;69(6):489-495.

Marshall JG. The impact of the hospital library on clinical
decision-making - The Rochester Study. Bull Med Libr Assoc
1992;80(2):169-178.
Myth: You can use other libraries if you
close your library
TRUTH:
•
Many libraries only serve institutionally
affiliated people. Only affiliated
students, faculty and staff have remote
access to library resources.
Universities charge unaffiliated people
for literature searches

Without a library, some health care
professionals may simply stop looking
for information.

Patients expect their physicians to
have access to medical literature.
Sources

McMullan M. Patients using the Internet
to obtain health information: How this
affects the patient-health professional
relationship. Patient Educ Couns 2006.
Myth: Consolidating library services into a
central library is cost effective
TRUTH:

Costs are shifted from one facility to another

The central library must either increase staff
or operate less efficiently

The collection in the central library needs to
be more comprehensive and diverse to meet
the needs of all facilities, requiring an
increase in materials budget

There may be time delays in service
Myth: Outsourcing library services saves
money
TRUTH:

Contracts often require additional costs for
added services
 The hospital has no control over the
qualifications, training and experience of
outsourced personnel
 Regular evaluation of services is essential to
ensure quality performance; services may be
reduced or delayed.
 Detailed concerns about outsourcing can be
found at
http://www.ccmlnet.org/Advocacy/Outsourcing.pdf
Myth: Anyone can buy journals for a print
collection
TRUTH:
Librarians do more than just
purchase subscriptions, they:
 Monitor journal usage
 Track missing issues
 Comply with copyright law
 Shape collection based on the
needs of the medical, nursing
and allied health staffs
 Perform physical
maintenance of the journal
collection, such as binding
Myth: Anyone can buy books for a library
collection
TRUTH:
Librarians do more than just
order books, they:
 Identify core titles
 Select books based on
needs
 Process and organize of
collection
 Weed collections based
on set criteria and keep
the collection current
The Bottom Line

In-house libraries managed by qualified librarians
provide the most cost effective, efficient means to
manage and locate quality medical information.

A balance between print and electronic resources
augmented by interlibrary loan services will best
serve the needs of health care professionals.

Librarians are part of the health care team. Finding
the right information for the healthcare
professional is Mission Critical. The end result is
improved patient care.