Are Health Sciences Librarians Taking the Evidence-Based Medicine Challenge? Ping Li, PhD GSLIS, Queens College, City University of New York Lin Wu, MLIS, AHIP Health Sciences Library and Biocommunications Center University of Tennessee Health Science Center Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS) Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, June 5–7, 2008

Introduction Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) What is EBM? “ The integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values” (Sackett et al. 2000).

Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

What is EBM?

“ The integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values” (Sackett et al. 2000).

Key Components of EBM Formulating focused and answerable clinical questions Finding the best evidence Critically appraising the evidence Applying results in clinical practice Evaluating performance (Babish 2003)

Formulating focused and answerable clinical questions

Finding the best evidence

Critically appraising the evidence

Applying results in clinical practice

Evaluating performance (Babish 2003)

Challenges Health care professionals Health sciences librarians

Health care professionals

Health sciences librarians

Why Researching? Reference job content analysis Disconnects ?

Research Objective To investigate whether and how health sciences librarians have been taking the evidence-based medicine (EBM) challenge.

To investigate whether and how health sciences librarians have been taking the evidence-based medicine (EBM) challenge.

Methodology Content analysis Job postings from January 2000 through December 2007 Literature review Librarians' EBM-related duties, responsibilities, and activities

Content analysis

Job postings from January 2000 through

December 2007

Literature review

Librarians' EBM-related duties, responsibilities,

and activities

Results – Content Analysis Total job ads: 726 Total reference jobs: 336 (46%) Total job ads related to EBM: 54 (16%)

Total job ads: 726

Total reference jobs: 336 (46%)

Total job ads related to EBM: 54 (16%)

EBM Job Postings by Library Type Library Type Number Percentage Academic 39 72% Special 12 22% Hospital 3 6% Total 54 100%

EBM Job Postings by Year Year Number Percentage 2000 6 11% 2001 8 15% 2002 3 6% 2003 5 9% 2004 8 15% 2005 11 20% 2006 7 13% 2007 6 11% Total 54 100%

Results- 6 EBM Related Variables EBM01: Expertise with/knowledge of EBM resources EBM02: Providing evidence-based medical research EBM03: Contributing to evidence-based initiatives EBM04: Attending morning reports, medical rounds, or journal club EBM05: Teaching EBM EBM06: Supporting evidence-based practice (EBP)

Positions (%) Requesting EBM-Related Qualifications and Duties

Results – Literature Review Sources of Literature PubMed/Medline CINAHL LISTA Academic Search Premier

PubMed/Medline

CINAHL

LISTA

Academic Search Premier

Results – Literature Review (Cont’d) 41 Articles Identified Opinion articles Articles reporting on librarians’ EBM-related activities Most are of project nature Only 4 articles reported on librarians’ routine involvement in EBM-related activities

41 Articles Identified

Opinion articles

Articles reporting on librarians’ EBM-related

activities

Most are of project nature

Only 4 articles reported on librarians’ routine

involvement in EBM-related activities

Results – Literature Review (Cont’d) Librarians’ Project-Related EBM Roles: Team members Partners Played a leading role in 3 projects

Librarians’ Project-Related EBM Roles:

Team members

Partners

Played a leading role in 3 projects

Results – Literature Review (Cont’d) Librarians’ Routine EBM-Related Activities Participating in the curriculum integration to support EBM Participating in morning reports to improve residents’ information searching skills Identifying, supplying, and providing training in EBP resources for educational programs Participating in graduate medical education, finding and relating the best evidence to clinical problems

Librarians’ Routine EBM-Related Activities

Participating in the curriculum integration to

support EBM

Participating in morning reports to improve

residents’ information searching skills

Identifying, supplying, and providing

training in EBP resources for educational

programs

Participating in graduate medical education,

finding and relating the best evidence to

clinical problems

Discussion Health sciences librarians Library administrators EBM practice in health care settings

Health sciences librarians

Library administrators

EBM practice in health care settings

Conclusions Potential existence of disconnects Significances Guidance for both employers and employees Insight into the training of future librarians

Potential existence of disconnects

Significances

Guidance for both employers and employees

Insight into the training of future librarians

What to Be Done Next? More rigid data to validate the findings A survey to investigate health sciences librarians’ actual involvements related to EBM

More rigid data to validate the findings

A survey to investigate health sciences librarians’ actual involvements related to EBM

Reference Sackett, David L., Sharon E. Straus, W. Scott Richardson, William Rosenberg, and R. Brian Haynes. 2000. Evidence based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Babish, JoAnn. 2003. Evidence-based medicine morning report: overview and role of the librarian. Journal of Hospital Librarianship 3, no. 4: 35-45.

Sackett, David L., Sharon E. Straus, W. Scott Richardson,

William Rosenberg, and R. Brian Haynes. 2000.

Evidence based medicine: how to practice and

teach EBM. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Babish, JoAnn. 2003. Evidence-based medicine morning

report: overview and role of the librarian. Journal of Hospital

Librarianship 3, no. 4: 35-45.

Thank you! Full paper is available at http://www.cais-acsi.ca/2008proceedings.htm Ping Li: pli@qc.cuny.edu Lin Wu: lwu5@utmem.edu

Thank you!

Full paper is available at

http://www.cais-acsi.ca/2008proceedings.htm

Ping Li: pli@qc.cuny.edu

Lin Wu: lwu5@utmem.edu