...the flood of new information that is relevant to practice can no longer be managed adequately by individual clinicians trying to keep up with the literature and attending conferences or lectures (Davis et al., 1999; Weed, 1999). One new approach to timely management of information involves including clinical librarians as a part of clinical care teams, for example, on morning rounds or on call, to note questions and search the literature for the best and most relevant information (Davidoff and Florance, 2000).
The W21C is pleased to announce the launch of the newly designed Clinical Librarian Program on Unit 36. Through collaboration with Susan Powelson, Director of Library Services, University of Calgary (U of C), staff on W21C now have access to librarian services at their finger tips. Clinical librarians:
• provide research assistance for clinical faculty
• provide bibliographies on requested topics
• select abstracts and articles to elucidate problems in patient care, both proactively and reactively
• educate students and clinical team members about effective information searching and resource management
• provide information to patients and their families
• serve as ambassadors to promote the use of traditional library services
Elizabeth Aitken, Clinical Librarian, is the key staff support for this program. Aitken will be available on Unit 36 two mornings each week during the pilot/evaluation phase, first attending medical rounds and then conducting office hours on the Unit. "Ultimately, we hope to show that having an information professional as part of the patient care team can positively affect patient care by helping healthcare staff to make well-informed decisions. That might be by teaching search skills or providing information on the Unit, Aitken explains. She reminds us that "Everyone can search – but how to choose the best resource and find the best evidence quickly is what I believe will make the difference for them (clinicians) in ongoing medical practice. The challenge and art is to find those learning times in a busy schedule and make the most of them."
References
Institute of
Medicine. Committee on Quality of Health Care in
America. Crossing the quality chasm:a new health system for the 21st century.
Washington,
D.C.:
National
Academy Press; 2001. p. 129
