The Impact of Library and Information Services on Patient-Care Outcomes:A Canadian Perspective

Joan C. BartlettMcGill University, School of Information Studies

May 6, 2013

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The Value Study was a partnership of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NNLM/MAR) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).

This project has been funded in part with federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract #N01-LM-6-3501 from New York University, NNLM/MAR.

Additional support was provided by the Hospital Library Section of the Medical Library Association (MLA), the NY/NJ Chapter of MLA; the Philadelphia Chapter of MLA; the Upstate New York and Ontario Chapter of MLA; the New York State Reference and Research Library Resources Councils and the Donald Lindberg Research Fellowship from MLA.

Acknowledgements

J. Bartlett MLA 2013 May 6, 2013

NN/LM MAR Planning Team• Julia Sollenberger, University of

Rochester Medical Center• Susan K. Cavanaugh, UMDNJ

Camden• Sharon Easterby-Gannett, Christiana

Care Medical Libraries• Sue Hunter, NN/LM MAR• Mary Lou Klem, Health Sciences

Library System, University of Pittsburgh

• Joanne Gard Marshall, UNC• Lynn Kasner Morgan, Mount Sinai

Medical Center• Kate Oliver, NN/LM MAR• Neil Romanosky, NN/LM MAR

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Study teamUNC Research Team• Joanne Gard Marshall, UNC

Principal Investigator• Cheryl A. Thompson,

Project Manager• Jennifer Craft Morgan• Marshica Stanley• Amber Wells

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• Value of Library and Information Services in Patient Care Study◦ National Network of Libraries of Medicine◦ Middle Atlantic Region◦ School of Information & Library Science,

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Purpose:◦ To understand the value and impact of the

information services provided by the library and librarian on patient care

Background

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• 4 libraries• 1231 participants

◦ 371 physicians◦ 135 residents◦ 560 nurses/NPs

Canadian Participation

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Were any of the following events avoided as a result of the information?*

  Overall Physician Resident NP Nurse

Patient misunderstanding of disease

209 (22.5%)

63 (18.8%)

31 (25.6%)

19 (40.4%)

81 (22.3%)

Additional tests or procedures

164 (17.7%)

83 (24.8%)

35 (28.9%)

13 (27.7%)

21 (5.8%)

Adverse drug reaction or interaction

114 (12.3%)

51 (15.2%)

17 (14.0%)

10 (21.3%)

29 (8.0%)

Medication error 87 (9.4%)

29 (8.7%)

16 (13.2%)

2 (4.3%)

35 (9.6%)

Patient mortality

49 (5.3%)

22 (6.6%)

9 (7.4%)

1 (2.1%)

13 (3.6%)

* Respondents could select all that applied, so column percent does not equal 100.

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• Semi-structured interviews with participating librarians◦ Discussion of dataset and presentation material

shared with participating librarians◦ How has the information been used?◦ What was the impact?

Follow-up

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• Public healthcare system• Bilingual context• Variation among provinces/territories• No central health information service

Proposed Canadian Study