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clinical librarians
Introduction
See also Evidence-based librarianship, Informationists and Social media landscape
Clinical librarianship is an area of medical library practice that originated in the United States during the 1970s. Proponents of clinical librarianship are known as clinical librarians.
What is a clinical librarian?
A clinical librarian (CL) provides specialized library services in teaching hospitals and other health organizations by participating in clinical activities and hospital rounds. By working with assigned teams of clinicians (faculty & students, residents & hospitalists), a clinical librarian can respond to information needs that arise within the clinic. In the sense of being outside the library, clinical librarians are therefore more 'clinic-driven' than 'library-driven'. Further, CLs facilitate access to the medical literature to answer the health professional's most-pressing clinical questions; as such, CLs perform, mediate and coach users through the search process and in locating the best medical evidence. This assistance can extend to locating the fulltext of documents in print and electronic formats. Although CLs are not universally present in hospitals, they are increasingly seen to be valuable for clinicians who wish to practice evidence-based care. If well-trained, CLS can respond to the many information needs of health professionals and facilitate problem-solving and decision-making. CLs are also integral to clinical teams for general information navigation and assistance, and in conducting reviews of the world's medical literature. The integration of CLs into clinical contexts has been enormously successful in many health organizations throughout the world. The future of medical librarianship seems to be linked to newer domains such as medical informatics, electronic health records (EHRs) and primary literature reviewing. One specific type of clinical librarian is called the informationist, which has been described in the JMLA. Informationists are said to understand the essentials of clinical medicine as well as the principles of library and information science; they enable clinicians to apply better judgment based on improved use of medical literature.
Key studies & websites
 A clinical librarian aids physicians on ward rounds See also CHLA/ABSC List of readings about clinical librarianship and NHS Clinical Librarianship bibliography
- Value of Hospital Libraries study (Rochester Study by Joanne Marshall) is being updated by NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region, 2011
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See Association of Clinical Librarians and Informationists
Digital methodologies
In the digital age, clinical librarians should avail themselves of the latest information and social technologies in order to deliver their library services optimally to physicians, other health groups and patients. A number of new digital and wireless technologies, such as the Apple iPhone4 for physicians, Apple iPad for physicians and wireless, are set to provide opportunities to health librarians to deliver information services to health user groups, wherever and whenever they may need them. This includes delivering health library services at the bedside on ward rounds.
Canadian context
Many health librarians practice some form of clinical librarianship, though they may not call themselves clinical librarians. Health librarians manage and deliver library and information services within their organizations but CLs venture out into clinics and beyond their traditional areas. In the information age, there may be unmet demand for clinical librarians on the wards and during clinical rounds. A recent question posed on CANMEDLIB suggests that there are a few clinical librarians working as such in Canada. The concept may be gaining traction among faculties and research institutes in tertiary care hospitals. Further research into this area is needed.
References
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- CHLA/ABSC. Librarians, knowledge, and clinical practice: select bibliography.
- Banks DE et al. Decreased hospital length of stay associated with presentation of cases at morning report with librarian support. J Med Libr Assoc. 2007; 95: 381-387.
- Barron S, Manhas S. Electronic health record (EHR) projects in Canada: participation options for Canadian health librarians. JCHLA / JABSC. 2011;32(3):137-143.
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- Bright TJ, Wong A, Dhurjati R, Bristow E, Bastian L, Coeytaux RR, et al. Effect of clinical decision-support systems: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2012 Apr 23.
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