Health Information and Libraries Journal最新文献

Background: Good maternal health is essential (UN Sustainable Development Goal 3). Pregnant women need to effectively evaluate and utilize health information for proper health decision making.

Purpose: To examine the ability of pregnant women to evaluate and utilize maternal health information in the Coastal region of Tanzania (a region with high levels of maternal morbidity).

Methodology: Mixed research approach and descriptive cross-sectional design were used to collect data from 132 pregnant women and 8 nurses/midwives using questionnaires and focus group discussions as data collection methods. IBM SPSS version 21 was used to analyse quantitative data, while thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.

Findings: Many of the pregnant women surveyed (64/128) had low or very low perceived abilities to evaluate maternal health information, but most women, according to health care staff, made appropriate decisions to seek help to avoid major risks. The higher the level of education of a pregnant woman, the higher, generally, her perceived evaluation skills.

Conclusion: Low ability to evaluate maternal health information affects the effective utilization of maternal health services. Collaboration between libraries and health facilities is recommended for the repackaging of information in a user-friendly format.

Background: It is unclear which educational interventions effectively improve healthcare professionals' information literacy.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions for improving the formulation of answerable clinical questions and the search skills of healthcare professionals.

Methods: We followed the Cochrane methodology and reported according to the PRISMA statement. The following databases from inception to November 2022: MEDLINE, Cochrane CENTRAL, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholar search engine, were searched. Randomised controlled trials and crossover trials on any educational interventions were included. Studies on search tools that are obsolete were excluded.

Results: Ten studies that mainly compared the effectiveness of lectures and bedside education to lectures or no intervention for searching of PubMed and/or MEDLINE, were included. There was evidence for improved attitude towards the intervention favouring lecture with self-directed learning over lecture, bedside education, and computer-assisted self-directed learning (RR: 1.14; 95% CI 1.06-1.23; N = 2 studies; 1064 participants; I² = 0%; moderate certainty evidence). There were limited findings on the knowledge, skills, satisfaction, and behaviour outcomes.

Conclusion: Future research should include a wider set of outcomes, be reported better and explore the use of digital technology for delivery of educational interventions. Further research should entail well-designed trials with relevant outcomes evaluating novel digital-based educational interventions.

Background: There is little evidence on the use or potential use of NHS repositories within the UK.

Methods: A mixed methods (quantitative/qualitative) study of two repositories: amber-the home of ambulance service research, and East Midlands Evidence Repository (EMER). A structured online questionnaire was distributed via the repository home page, and promoted via social media, email networks, and lists. Next, three research leaders were interviewed in person online (see Appendix S1, supporting information). Transcripts of the recorded interviews were summarised using ChatGPT 3.5.

Results: From the 148 questionnaire responses, 38% of respondents had used an NHS repository. Librarian activities were key to encouraging repository use (that is, searching and depositing materials). ResearchGate was the most widely used alternative. Perceived benefits of using repositories included open access to materials, and knowledge sharing with colleagues. Users generally did not know the deposit process, and over 50% of respondents were unaware of Green Open Access.

Discussion: Building greater awareness, and institutional support is key to increasing repository usage. Marketing activities and educating researchers about the benefits of engaging with the repository are fundamental.

Conclusion: NHS librarians need to market NHS repositories using principles of knowledge management and ensure that the grey literature of research and evaluation reports in repositories is better used.

Background: Although university students are young and seem generally healthy, they do have health information needs that affect their academic work. Some university healthcare services and academic libraries collaborated during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide health information to students.

Aims/objectives: The study explored the health information gap among undergraduate students in universities in Ghana.

Methodology: The study involved 382 students from the University of Cape Coast, the University of Ghana, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, including nine librarians and six university health professionals. Respondents for the study were chosen using stratified sampling and purposeful sampling techniques. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect the data.

Results: The study revealed limited access to health information for undergraduate students. Male and female students had similar high priorities (personal hygiene, disease prevention, healthy living, mental health) but reproductive health information was mostly a priority for female students.

Discussion: Inadequate access to health information among undergraduate students may pose a threat to avoidable health risks and academic productivity.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, a functional Collaborative Health Information Model for Academic Libraries and University Healthcare Systems is proposed to address undergraduate students' health information needs.

Background: Much government response to improving vaccination uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the problems of misinformation and disinformation. There may, however, be other signals within online health information that influence uptake of vaccination.

Objective: This study identified the influence of various health information signals within online information communities on the intention of receiving the vaccine.

Method: A deductive approach was used to derive constructs from signalling theory. Constructs were validated by a convenience sample using a questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to evaluate the measurement model, the structural model and the multigroup analysis.

Results: The analysis showed a significant impact of signals derived from past experience, information asymmetry and source credibility constructs on the perceived quality of the vaccine service. The perceived quality also had a significant impact on the intention to receive the vaccine.

Discussion: Signalling theory was able to explain the importance of health information signals perceived from online platforms on the intention of individuals to receive the vaccine.

Conclusion: Information asymmetry between information provider and receiver, perceived credibility of sources and perceived quality of the vaccination service may influence decisions about vaccination.

Introduction: Although thematic analysis of health librarianship (HL) presentations at conferences in the USA exists, no similar research has been reported focused on HL at UK conferences.

Objectives: To determine trends in HL conference presentations from 2017 to 2022 at three UK-based HL conferences and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) conferences.

Methods: Thematic analysis of conference programmes obtained from websites, the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and conference organisers.

Results: A total of 226 HL-related conference presentations were identified across all the examined conference programmes. Eight themes emerged: being a Healthcare Librarian; Digital Working; Finding the Evidence; Generating Research; Strategic Library Management; Literacies; Other; and Using the Evidence. 'Being a Healthcare Librarian' (n = 54) and 'Strategic Library Management' (n = 53) were the most prominent cross-conference themes.

Discussion: Presentations at HL-specific conferences provide a wider range of themes than CILIP conferences, with 'Being a Healthcare Librarian' absent from CILIP conferences but 'Literacies' appearing in similar numbers at both. Differences in conference formats and the COVID-19 pandemic likely influenced presentation numbers.

Conclusion: HL conference themes are not directly reflected in CILIP conferences. NHS Knowledge and Library Services staff should be encouraged to undertake and disseminate original research, creating a UK evidence base for healthcare librarianship.

Health librarians and knowledge specialists are well placed to make the most of policy work to develop and embed health libraries and information services. Search and evidence summary skills allow staff to identify existing policies that can be of benefit to health library services, respond to policy consultations and develop policies. This editorial introduces the importance of policy work to health library and information services and how policy can be used as a lever for change. It also provides practical tips on where to start in identifying relevant policies, policy consultations and developing policies for health libraries and information services.

Introduction: Citation analysis studies the use of citations found in various types of publications, including the use of government information, and can provide insight into research utilisation in nursing literature.

Method: Using citation analysis, this study examines the use, prevalence and jurisdiction of government information use among seven nursing research journals based on ranking criteria. Government information citations were identified across three types of articles: editorials, reviews and research articles.

Results: Nearly two-thirds of the articles in this study cite some form of government information, and the average percentage of government citations is 5.38 of all citations. Government information was identified from national governments, inter-governmental organizations and state and regional governments.

Discussion: Understanding the use, prevalence and jurisdiction of government information informs health information professionals allowing them to engage with nursing students and researchers about this important type of information and the types of articles that use government information.

Conclusion: Nursing researchers frequently cite government information in their work. This has implications for librarians, nursing researchers and health professionals. Understanding the intersection of government information and nursing research should inform future practice in evidence-based nursing research and nursing education.

Background: With the increasing adoption of digital health, health informatics and information management (HIIM) professionals are more essential than ever before. This paper explores the difficulties encountered when trying to classify and track the HIIM workforce internationally.

Methods: A historic document analysis method to explore how the International Standard of Classifications (ISCO) and the available national standards from countries using an alternative classification represent the HIIM workforce.

Results: There is little recognition of the HIIM workforce in the ISCO and national standards. Where an entry did exist, more than 90% were in a non-health major group. At the major group level, 16.7% (7/42) of entries specified an administrative term, 11.9% (5/42) a professional term, 9.5% (4/42) a technician term and 61.9% (26) including both professional and technician as the description.

Discussion: Most country-level classification systems classified HIIM as a technical occupation rather than a professional occupation. The term 'digital health' did not appear in any classification reviewed.

Conclusion: As the requirement for formal training increases globally in the HIIM occupation, classification systems will need to include or reclassify HIIM to reflect it as a professional occupation, with a clear structure and requiring specific education and specialised skills.