Removing the boundaries of space in health information sharing

Purpose and Setting

The Hospital de Torrejon library in Madrid and The Medical Sciences Library (MSL) at Texas A&M University share a common goal, to make information and resources accessible to users wherever they are, whenever they need it. This has led to an increased focus on effective distance communication and information sharing. Although there are several means of communicating over large distances, limited budgets and differing levels of librarian and user technological expertise, make it essential to identify effective and inexpensive sharing methods that provide a continuity of experience from academia to clinical settings.

Objective

To identify the similarities and differences in the communication and service methods of academic and hospital libraries as they relate to distant professional and student users with varying technology expertise. Initiate the planning, implement the support, and assess the viability of those communication methods to determine their effectiveness in both the clinical and academic settings in very different countries. Use the combination of the results to encourage a more effective and coordinated effort in providing services and resources to distant locations.

Methods/Process

As the medical community grows into new markets, this has a direct impact on the libraries that have been designated to serve those areas with resources and services.  Although the most common and preferred interface has generally been face-to-face, tighter budgets make personal support at various locations much more difficult to achieve.  As an alternative to in-person communication, the Hospital de Torrejon has looked to implement such tools as web pages, blogs, Google chat, E-mail, and twitter.  Likewise, the Medical Sciences Library has investigated changes in its own webpage, a chat service with texting capability, and Adobe Connect.  Beyond communication, there is also the aspect of providing actual resources.  To accomplish this, the library systems have each made use of E-mail, Google Docs, Specific Applications, and actual internal and external mailing services.  Each listed method was analyzed based on the level of expertise needed for use, the level of support required, any cost considerations, and the success achieved with each method. The methods used to measure the successfulness of each communication type included website hit statistics, attendance at announced events, and specific user comments.  Additionally, a survey was provided by the Medical Sciences Library to better gauge exactly what type of services and resources a newly acquired client group at a distant location would desire.  The population surveyed consisted of students and staff of a clinical/educational setting that had full access to an unmanned library space, but an extremely limited number of physical resources and instruction on accessing the electronic resources.  The survey was designed to discover if the respondents were from the College of Medicine, College of Nursing, or College of Pharmacy.  The survey also questioned when the library space was most often used, what people most often used from the library, and what they wish was provided.  To alert different and disparate populations to the services and resources that were at their disposal, a series of “Info-fairs” were hosted at each location so that resources could be further demonstrated, and relationships could be created to aid with future virtual correspondence.  At the Spain locations, periodic visits are made for training and instruction purposes, but in general, most support is given electronically.

Outcomes/Conclusions

In the survey given by the Medical Sciences Library concerning what resources are used the most in an onsite physical space, Twenty-eight out of Fifty-one respondents said that they used online resources.  Additionally, in the following question asking what was desired of the library to have available, only six of the fifty-one suggested electronic resources.  This indicates that a majority of the users were already quite comfortable with using electronic materials, and therefore would likely be comfortable with electronic communication methods.   In fact, one of the key noted requests revolved around searching for resources rather than the resources themselves.  One of the most difficult tasks in using different vehicles for distance support is actually educating the clientele on the existence of these communication methods, and identifying which ones are most effective for particular user groups on in specific situations(1).  The librarian for the Hospital de Torrejon travels to the other hospitals in that system approximately 3 times per year for teaching purposes.  Periodically, an email will be sent with the training needed which prompts the creation and scheduling of some workshops and/or classes.  These experiences have demonstrated that the younger doctors seem to be much more comfortable with using the electronic means of communication for library assistance (email, web forms, and chat).  The younger doctors also seemed to prefer the electronic interaction not just for convenience, but also because it saves them from the delays and interruptions that generally come with having to plan a trip to the library or arrange for a visit from the librarian.  The older or more experienced generation still seems to prefer face to face interaction if given a choice.  As one of the Spain libraries is to serve students (which closely resembles the Medical Sciences Library model, it too has demonstrated that students prefer the online services because they can access them from anywhere and at any time.  The recent popularity in smartphones and tablets has only added to the luxury that clients now have in accessing library resources.  This allows the clients to take the library with them in a sense, and have even faster access than simply using a computer.  The technology is however creating a double-edged sword in that the ease of accessing the library from anywhere also brings with it the problem that there is no excuse for not being able to work from wherever they may be.  Blogs and Facebook updates have proven effective for posting news and links as well as information about new services. Chat is extremely effective a means of addressing any immediate needs that a medical student or professional student may have as long as a librarian is present to be involved in the chat.  Likewise, these same systems generally support text capability which accepts questions from mobile devices.    Twitter seems to be best implemented when it is used to post information about the library for quick announcements or sudden changes, but still leaves somewhat of a gap even for the younger generation.  Google docs works really well when used for forms and for collecting information on scientific articles or books that have been published.  Additionally it is useful in saving congress presentations, posters, etc.  A comparative list of these different distance communication techniques used by both entities clearly illustrates many of the pros and cons of each method.