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1.
Objective:
The investigation provides recommendations for establishing institutional collection guidelines and policies that protect the integrity of the historical record, while upholding the privacy and confidentiality of those who are protected by Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or professional ethical standards.Methods:
The authors completed a systematic historical investigation of the concepts of collection integrity, privacy, and confidentiality in the formal and informal legal and professional ethics literature and applied these standards to create best practices for institutional policies in these areas.Results:
Through an in-depth examination of the historical concepts of privacy and confidentiality in the legal and professional ethics literature, the authors were able to create recommendations that would allow institutions to provide access to important, yet sensitive, materials, while complying with the standards set by HIPAA regulations and professional ethical expectations.Conclusion:
With thoughtful planning, it is possible to balance the integrity of and access to the historical record of sensitive documents, while supporting the privacy protections of HIPAA and professional ethical standards. Although it is theorized that collection development polices of institutions have changed due to HIPAA legislation, additional research is suggested to see how various legal interpretations have affected the integrity of the historical record in actuality.Highlights
- Ethical standards call upon special collections professionals to collect and provide access openly, while protecting individual privacy.
- A systematic historical investigation of legal and professional ethics literature can lead to standard best practices that address issues of privacy and access.
Implications
- Special collections professionals can establish guidelines that preserve the historical record and maintain collection integrity and access, while adhering to privacy legislation and ethical concerns.
- The framework suggested here can be used to write a collection development and access policy that complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
- Librarians who interact regularly with hospital administrators or researchers using patient data need to be aware of the ethical and legal issues involved in patient data retention.
2.
Laura L. Haines Jeanene Light Donna O'Malley Frances A. Delwiche 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(1):73-81
Objectives:
This study examined the information-seeking behaviors of basic science researchers to inform the development of customized library services.Methods:
A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted on a sample of basic science researchers employed at a university medical school.Results:
The basic science researchers used a variety of information resources ranging from popular Internet search engines to highly technical databases. They generally relied on basic keyword searching, using the simplest interface of a database or search engine. They were highly collegial, interacting primarily with coworkers in their laboratories and colleagues employed at other institutions. They made little use of traditional library services and instead performed many traditional library functions internally.Conclusions:
Although the basic science researchers expressed a positive attitude toward the library, they did not view its resources or services as integral to their work. To maximize their use by researchers, library resources must be accessible via departmental websites. Use of library services may be increased by cultivating relationships with key departmental administrative personnel. Despite their self-sufficiency, subjects expressed a desire for centralized information about ongoing research on campus and shared resources, suggesting a role for the library in creating and managing an institutional repository.Highlights
- Basic science researchers rely on a small network of individuals in their institution and at other institutions to satisfy their information needs.
- Basic science researchers tend to ignore institutional boundaries when searching for information and do not necessarily view the library as the primary source of scholarly information.
- Basic science researchers use the interlibrary loan service regularly but otherwise rarely use traditional library services such as mediated literature searching and instruction.
Implications
- The library must establish a presence in researchers'' work environments, rather than expect them to seek out library resources and services.
- The increased emphasis by funding agencies on clinical translational science may impact the information needs of basic science researchers in the future.
- Libraries have an opportunity to capitalize on their positive reputation and basic scientists'' desire for more centralized information to create new information resources and services such as institutional repositories.
3.
C. Trenton Boyd 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):8-14
Objective:
The objective of this study was to survey holdings of ephemeral veterinary literature.Methods:
WorldCat OCLC catalog, the Library of Congress online catalog, the US National Agricultural Library online catalog, and the Dictionary Catalog of the National Agricultural Library, 1862–1965, were used to determine current library holdings of materials published by veterinary schools that are no longer in existence and veterinary associations that are defunct, veterinary supply catalogs, veterinary house organs, patent medicine publications, and veterinary advertisements. Individual library catalogs were also consulted. In addition, the practice of removing advertisements from bound volumes was examined.Results:
There are many gaps in the cataloged library holdings of primary source materials relating to the history of the education of veterinarians in the United States.Conclusions:
A proactive action plan needs to be designed and activated to locate, catalog, and preserve this primary source material of veterinary medicine for posterity.Highlights
- Veterinary libraries have failed to catalog or retain important primary veterinary source materials.
- Several types of veterinary gray literature, with individual pieces scattered across multiple kinds of libraries, are at high risk for loss from the historical record.
Implications
- Academic, veterinary, medical, and special librarians should be involved in efforts to preserve their institutional, local, and state materials; to identify and locate hidden collections of materials, both in uncataloged collections and in the hands of private collectors; and to mentor new librarians about their role in preserving the history of medicine.
- The results of this survey of primary source materials documenting US veterinary medical education suggest the need for a parallel study of medical education and other health professions education.
- The time is now, not only to digitize important scarce veterinary materials for both preservation and improved access, but also to archive present day institutional output (paper and electronic).
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Ana G Ugaz C. Trenton Boyd Vicki F Croft Esther E Carrigan Katherine M Anderson 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(4):282-292
Objective:
This paper presents the methods and results of a study designed to produce the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials,” which was established by the Veterinary Medical Libraries Section in 1976 and last updated in 1986.Methods:
A set of 238 titles were evaluated using a decision matrix in order to systematically assign points for both objective and subjective criteria and determine an overall score for each journal. Criteria included: coverage in four major indexes, scholarly impact rank as tracked in two sources, identification as a recommended journal in preparing for specialty board examinations, and a veterinary librarian survey rating.Results:
Of the 238 titles considered, a minimum scoring threshold determined the 123 (52%) journals that constituted the final list. The 36 subject categories represented on the list include general and specialty disciplines in veterinary medicine. A ranked list of journals and a list by subject category were produced.Conclusion:
Serials appearing on the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” met expanded objective measures of quality and impact as well as subjective perceptions of value by both librarians and veterinary practitioners.Highlights
- The 123 journals on the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” include 117 journals with a decision matrix score of 15 points or higher, with an additional 6 journals included for more complete subject representation.
- Subject categories with the greatest number of journals are internal medicine, food animal medicine, and research.
- Updates for the third edition of the “Basic List” include 59 new titles and 13 new subject categories.
Implications
- The third edition of the “Basic List” provides a useful collection development and assessment tool for veterinary libraries, as well as general libraries with a need to develop a core collection of veterinary resources.
- The decision matrix approach, using standard quantitative and focused qualitative measures, provides a useful methodology for creating core lists in other disciplines.
6.
Jennifer M Welch Susan D Hoffius E. Brooke Fox 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):57-60
Question/Objective:
How can a special collection maintain or increase its profile in its parent institution, when that parent institution emphasizes scientific and clinical learning?Setting/Context:
The Waring Historical Library, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), preserves and promotes the history of health sciences at MUSC and in South Carolina. As a state entity, MUSC has suffered significant budget cuts for the past several years. In this climate, the Waring had to find ways to maintain relevance in the MUSC community.Methods:
The Waring partnered with the MUSC College of Nursing to explore new ways to build institutional allies. By combining traditional archival administration with innovative uses of digital collections aimed at institutional promotion and outreach, the Waring''s digital library became an advocacy tool that led to the Waring''s enhanced value to its parent institution.Outcomes:
The Waring Library is a resource for MUSC development and alumni relations. Tangible outcomes include additional funding from grants, increased staff, no loss of institutional funding, increased access to collections, increased accessions, cultivation of institutional allies for long-term support of the Waring, and development of a template for future partnerships. 相似文献7.
Objective:
The research sought to establish a rubric for evaluating evidence-based medicine (EBM) point-of-care tools in a health sciences library.Methods:
The authors searched the literature for EBM tool evaluations and found that most previous reviews were designed to evaluate the ability of an EBM tool to answer a clinical question. The researchers'' goal was to develop and complete rubrics for assessing these tools based on criteria for a general evaluation of tools (reviewing content, search options, quality control, and grading) and criteria for an evaluation of clinical summaries (searching tools for treatments of common diagnoses and evaluating summaries for quality control).Results:
Differences between EBM tools'' options, content coverage, and usability were minimal. However, the products'' methods for locating and grading evidence varied widely in transparency and process.Conclusions:
As EBM tools are constantly updating and evolving, evaluation of these tools needs to be conducted frequently. Standards for evaluating EBM tools need to be established, with one method being the use of objective rubrics. In addition, EBM tools need to provide more information about authorship, reviewers, methods for evidence collection, and grading system employed.Highlights
- Eleven of the fourteen previous evidence-based medicine (EBM) tool evaluations were based on clinicians evaluating tools based on their perception of the products'' ability to answer a clinical question.
- EBM tools'' evidence summaries are not updated as often as products claim.
- Although many EBM tools claim to be evidence based, only 74% of the 70 evaluated treatment summaries included graded evidence.
Implications
- To offer the best tools for users, medical libraries should evaluate EBM resources regularly, including the quality of the evidence provided.
- Medical librarians have a role to play in evaluating the quality of EBM products and can develop assessment tools to aid in this evaluation.
8.
Ana G Ugaz 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(2):145-152
Objective:
The paper analyzes the journal evaluation criteria used to create the third edition of a core list of veterinary serials to determine the impact of each criterion on the final composition of the list in order to assess the value of using multiple criteria in creating a core list.Methods:
Three additional lists were generated from criteria that were previously combined to prepare the third edition of the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials”: a list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations, another list based on journals selected by veterinary librarians, and a list based on both indexing coverage and scholarly rank. The top fifteen journals in each of the three lists were then compared to reveal potential biases. Subject representation on the full lists generated by each of these methods was also compared.Results:
The list based on journal recommendations from veterinary specialty organizations exhibited a focus on clinically relevant titles. The list based on veterinary librarian recommendations resulted in the broadest subject coverage. The list based on indexing and scholarly rank, while emphasizing research titles, produced the largest number of unique titles.Conclusion:
A combination approach that includes objective evaluation measures and practical input, whether from librarians or discipline experts, can improve coverage and can result in a list that balances research-based with clinical practice journals.Highlights
- Analysis of criteria used to create the “Basic List of Veterinary Medical Serials” reveals biases inherent in different quality measures that result in different journal emphases.
- Use of indexing or scholarly rank is often thought of as a limiting factor, but in this study, the journals that were scored solely on these two criteria resulted in the inclusion of the greatest number of unique titles.
- Librarian input produced the broadest subject coverage of any list.
Implications
- An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of various methodologies reveals clear evidence for using both objective and subjective criteria in developing a core list. Collection development decisions would equally benefit from this approach.
- Comparison of the top titles on core lists underscores the value of input from practitioners or discipline experts in collection decisions.
- Bias toward clinical content revealed in the input from the veterinary specialty organizations indicates the importance of understanding the purpose and compilation methods used in creating recommended lists before using them in collection development.
9.
Cynthia A. Olney Joyce E. B. Backus Lori J. Klein 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(1):65-72
Objectives:
Through interviews with the National Library of Medicine''s MedlinePlus Go Local collaborators, an evaluation team sought to identify process characteristics that are critical for long-term sustainability of Go Local projects and to describe the impact that Go Local projects have on sponsoring institutions.Methods:
Go Local project coordinators (n = 44) at 31 sponsor institutions participated in semi-structured interviews about their experiences developing and maintaining Go Local sites. Interviews were summarized, checked for accuracy by the participating librarians, and analyzed using a general inductive methodology.Results:
Institutional factors that support Go Local projects were identified through the interviews, as well as strategies for staffing and partnerships with external organizations. Positive outcomes for sponsoring institutions also were identified.Conclusions:
The findings may influence the National Library of Medicine team''s decisions about improvements to its Go Local system and the support it provides to sponsoring institutions. The findings may benefit current sponsoring institutions as well as those considering or planning a Go Local project.Highlights
- Many project coordinators said they underestimated the level of work their National Library of Medicine (NLM) MedlinePlus Go Local projects would require, but most expressed dedication to the project and optimism about project sustainability.
- An institutional record of community service or outreach and a director who was supportive of the project were important factors in the progress and sustainability of Go Local projects.
- Go Local projects brought recognition to some sponsoring institutions from their parent institutions or their communities and provided opportunities to establish better relations with other libraries and institutions.
- Go Local projects ran more smoothly when a person, even a temporary hire, with dedicated time for the project was in charge during the initial building phase. Volunteer assistance has been difficult to motivate and sustain.
Implications
- NLM''s Go Local proposal guidelines accurately identify the factors that institutions should pay close attention to when planning a Go Local project.
- NLM should emphasize continuity plans to address project coordinator turnover.
- NLM should develop a more formal orientation plan for new project coordinators to assist program continuity at the sponsoring institutions.
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Katalin Kaproncszay László András Magyar Constance E Putnam 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):31-39
Objectives:
The 170-year history of the library of the Royal Society of Medicine in Budapest illustrates both that political and cultural context matter and that “medical” libraries, if they survive, in due course become primarily “medical history” libraries.Methods:
Two of the authors are on the staff of the Semmelweis Medical History Library; the third is a US scholar who makes frequent use of the library. Together, they avail themselves of archival and published materials—and personal experience with the collection—to establish the context that produced the original library, trace its evolution, and describe its present-day incarnation.Results:
A tale of transformation emerges that reflects how collections are likely to change. The authors present events and individuals in the life of the Royal Society''s library and paint a picture of the value of today''s Semmelweis Medical History Library. Unique treasures in the collection are described.Conclusion:
The story told here is of how a particular nineteenth-century library became a twenty-first–century institution. The authors establish its peculiarly Hungarian context and potential value to librarians and historians from outside Hungary. The overall message is that general medical libraries everywhere are perforce likely to become medical historical libraries over time.Highlights
- Context matters. The historical background of a library helps determine its functions and its future; shifts in modes of publishing affect and monetary concerns shape the development and preservation of an historical collection.
- Libraries evolve. Medical libraries undergo a normal and profoundly useful transformation over time into repositories of medical history.
- Books alone do not a library make: Libraries can and should be settings for continuing education, cultural affirmation, and assistance to scholars by preserving and making available for use a variety of sometimes rare archival and published materials.
Implications
- Knowing the political and cultural background of a library is essential to understanding its history as well as its present-day status.
- Preserving and expanding historical collections demands vigilance and creative management, especially under difficult fiscal and political circumstances. The loyal and diligent work of Hungarians and others who helped build and preserve this library can serve as a model for other threatened collections.
- Sharing the story of a relatively unknown library''s development brings its general assets and unique resources to the attention of a wider audience of librarians and scholars. Few outside Hungary have previously had any way of knowing about the Semmelweis Medical History Library''s rich holdings.
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Dean Hendrix 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2008,96(4):324-334
Objective:
The objective of this study was to analyze bibliometric data from ISI, National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funding data, and faculty size information for Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) member schools during 1997 to 2007 to assess research productivity and impact.Methods:
This study gathered and synthesized 10 metrics for almost all AAMC medical schools (n = 123): (1) total number of published articles per medical school, (2) total number of citations to published articles per medical school, (3) average number of citations per article, (4) institutional impact indices, (5) institutional percentages of articles with zero citations, (6) annual average number of faculty per medical school, (7) total amount of NIH funding per medical school, (8) average amount of NIH grant money awarded per faculty member, (9) average number of articles per faculty member, and (10) average number of citations per faculty member. Using principal components analysis, the author calculated the relationships between measures, if they existed.Results:
Principal components analysis revealed 3 major clusters of variables that accounted for 91% of the total variance: (1) institutional research productivity, (2) research influence or impact, and (3) individual faculty research productivity. Depending on the variables in each cluster, medical school research may be appropriately evaluated in a more nuanced way. Significant correlations exist between extracted factors, indicating an interrelatedness of all variables. Total NIH funding may relate more strongly to the quality of the research than the quantity of the research. The elimination of medical schools with outliers in 1 or more indicators (n = 20) altered the analysis considerably.Conclusions:
Though popular, ordinal rankings cannot adequately describe the multidimensional nature of a medical school''s research productivity and impact. This study provides statistics that can be used in conjunction with other sound methodologies to provide a more authentic view of a medical school''s research. The large variance of the collected data suggests that refining bibliometric data by discipline, peer groups, or journal information may provide a more precise assessment.Highlights
- Principal components analysis discovered three clusters of variables: (1) institutional research productivity, (2) research influence or impact, and (3) individual faculty research productivity.
- The associations between size-independent measures (e.g., average number of citations/article) were more significant than associations between size-independent bibliometric measures and size-dependent (e.g., number of faculty) bibliometric measures and vice versa, except in the case of total National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.
- The factor coefficients, or loadings, for total NIH funding may associate more with the quality of research rather than the quantity of research.
- The removal of twenty outliers, fourteen highly productive or influential medical schools and six medical schools with relatively low research profiles, changed the results of the analysis significantly.
- This study''s broad institutional bibliometric data sets cannot be extrapolated to specific departments at the studied medical schools.
Implications
- Librarians, administrators, and faculty should use several methodologies in tandem with bibliometric data when evaluating institutions'' research impact and productivity.
- Health sciences librarians should not make use of university rankings materials lacking strong methodological foundations.
- This study''s bibliometric data may provide a starting point or point of comparison for future assessments.
15.
T. Elizabeth Workman Marcelo Fiszman John F Hurdle Thomas C Rindflesch 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(4):273-281
Objective:
This paper examines the development and evaluation of an automatic summarization system in the domain of molecular genetics. The system is a potential component of an advanced biomedical information management application called Semantic MEDLINE and could assist librarians in developing secondary databases of genetic information extracted from the primary literature.Methods:
An existing summarization system was modified for identifying biomedical text relevant to the genetic etiology of disease. The summarization system was evaluated on the task of identifying data describing genes associated with bladder cancer in MEDLINE citations. A gold standard was produced using records from Genetics Home Reference and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Genes in text found by the system were compared to the gold standard. Recall, precision, and F-measure were calculated.Results:
The system achieved recall of 46%, and precision of 88% (F-measure = 0.61) by taking Gene References into Function (GeneRIFs) into account.Conclusion:
The new summarization schema for genetic etiology has potential as a component in Semantic MEDLINE to support the work of data curators.Highlights
- Semantic MEDLINE streamlines information retrieval by succinctly expressing the meaning of sometimes complicated text and summarizing output according to a user''s needs.
- Semantic MEDLINE identifies genes noted in biomedical text as associated with a disease process.
- Semantic MEDLINE can potentially simplify secondary database curation.
Implications
- Library information retrieval services can potentially benefit from automated applications such as Semantic MEDLINE.
- Use of such automated applications can facilitate the library''s work in interdepartmental collaborative endeavors, thus reinforcing the library''s core value in its parent institution.
16.
Ruth Holst Carla J. Funk Heidi Sue Adams Margaret Bandy Catherine Mary Boss Beth Hill Claire B. Joseph Rosalind K. Lett 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2009,97(4):285-292
Objectives:
The research objectives were to (1) describe the current and future roles of hospital librarians and the challenges they face and (2) find evidence supporting the hypothesis that librarians are essential to hospitals in achieving the organizations'' mission-critical goals.Method:
The authors used results from a previous research study that identified the five organizational mission-critical goals important to hospital administrators and then searched the literature and solicited examples from hospital librarians to describe the librarian''s role in helping hospitals achieve these goals.Results:
The literature supports the hypothesis that hospital librarians play important roles in the success of the hospital. Librarians support quality clinical care, efficient and effective hospital operations, continuing education for staff, research and innovation, and patient, family, and community health information needs.Conclusion:
Hospital librarians fulfill many mission-critical roles in today''s hospital, providing the right information at the right time in a variety of ways to enhance hospital and medical staff effectiveness, optimize patient care, improve patient outcomes, and increase patient and family satisfaction with the hospital and its services. Because hospital librarians and their services provide an excellent return on investment for the hospital and help the hospital keep its competitive edge, hospital staff should have access to the services of a professional librarian.Highlights
- A review of the literature supports the hypothesis that services of the professional librarian result in:
- enhanced staff effectiveness,
- optimized patient care,
- improved patient outcomes, and
- increased patient and family satisfaction with the hospital and its services.
Implications
- Because hospital librarians and their services provide an excellent return on investment for the hospital and help the hospital keep its competitive edge, hospital staff should have access to the services of a professional librarian.
17.
Ana D Cleveland 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2011,99(1):61-69
Purpose:
This lecture discusses a philosophy of educating health information professionals in a rapidly changing health care and information environment.Discussion:
Education for health information professionals must be based upon a solid foundation of the changing paradigms and trends in health care and health information, as well as technological advances, to produce a well-prepared information workforce to meet the demands of health-related environments. Educational programs should begin with the core principles of library and information sciences and expand in interdisciplinary collaborations. A model of the health care environment is presented to serve as a framework for developing educational programs for health information professionals.Conclusion:
Interdisciplinary and collaborative relationships—which merge health care, library and information sciences, and other information-related disciplines—should form the basis of education for health information professionals.Highlights
- Educational pathways for the creation of future health information professionals are charted through the discussion of four major roads.
- A model of the health care environment sets the framework for building educational programs for health information professionals.
Implications
- The presented pathways can inform educational decision making at all levels, including the need to revisit the accreditation bodies of programs educating health information professionals.
- The National Library of Medicine is encouraged to create a workforce center to identify the needs of the profession.
- Interdisciplinary and collaborative partnerships are vital to produce quality graduates who are prepared to handle the complexities of the health care and information environment.
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Ryan S. Rafferty 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2013,101(3):213-217
Objectives:
The research sought to determine if first-year medical students consulted and cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions.Methods:
Students attended a library resources instructional session. Resources that pertained to the students'' assignment were demonstrated and discussed. The students created a report including citations from relevant literature. The citations were analyzed and categorized as: a resource discussed at the instructional session, a resource found on the course LibGuide, a library resource, course material, or some other resource. All citations were subcategorized as print or electronic.Results:
Three years (2008–2011) of data analyzing 2,983 citations showed that 49.55% of all citations were from resources discussed during library instructional sessions; 21.86% came from resources with links on the course LibGuide; 77.51% were from library resources; and 90.68% came from electronic resources.Conclusion:
Students cited resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assignments. The percentage of all citations coming from resources highlighted during the instructional sessions or found on the course LibGuide indicates that library instruction had an impact on the students'' work.Highlights
- Review of the literature shows that instruction about library resources accompanied by clear guidelines on scholarly research methods and resources provided by course instructors have the biggest impact on the quality of cited materials in student bibliographies.
- Graduate medical students cited library resources more frequently than nonlibrary resources for their assigned coursework.
- Graduate medical students cited materials and resources specifically highlighted during library instructional sessions for their assigned coursework.
Implications
- Instruction about library resources tailored to medical students'' assignments impacts the resources that the students consult and cite for their assignments.
- Using the information gathered from citation analysis to modify teaching plans can impact the effectiveness of library instructional sessions.
20.
Dixie A Jones Jean P Shipman Daphne A Plaut Catherine R Selden 《Journal of the Medical Library Association》2010,98(3):243-249
Objectives:
The Medical Library Association (MLA)/National Library of Medicine (NLM) Joint Electronic Personal Health Record Task Force examined the current state of personal health records (PHRs).Methods:
A working definition of PHRs was formulated, and a database was built with fields for specified PHR characteristics. PHRs were identified and listed. Each task force member was assigned a portion of the list for data gathering. Findings were recorded in the database.Results:
Of the 117 PHRs identified, 91 were viable. Almost half were standalone products. A number used national standards for nomenclature and/or record structure. Less than half were mobile device enabled. Some were publicly available, and others were offered only to enrollees of particular health plans or employees at particular institutions. A few were targeted to special health conditions.Conclusions:
The PHR field is very dynamic. While most PHR products have some common elements, their features can vary. PHRs can link their users with librarians and information resources. MLA and NLM have taken an active role in making this connection and in encouraging librarians to assume this assistance role with PHRs.Highlights
- A variety of personal health records (PHRs) exist with some tied to medical health records and others offered as standalone products.
- Librarians can be connected to PHR users through inclusion of an assistance statement in PHRs.
- PHRs offer librarians another means of providing consumers with quality health information.
Implications
- PHR user support is a new role for medical librarians.
- Medical librarians need to be proactive in their communities to educate consumers about PHRs.
- Given the dynamic nature of this market, medical librarians should make a concerted effort to stay abreast of trends in this area.