Library involvement in health informatics education for health professions students and practitioners: a scoping review

Health sciences librarians' instructional engagement in continuing education: a scoping review

Objective

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have an ongoing need for continuing education (CE) while Health Science Librarians (HSLs), accustomed to supporting a range of learning needs in a variety of contexts, are well situated to provide CE that addresses information retrieval, literacy, management, and more. To better understand the extent of HSL delivered CE activities, we undertook a scoping review to determine how HSLs instruct practicing HCPs in support of their CE.

Methods

We searched for published and unpublished literature sources including PubMed (NCBI), Embase (Elsevier); Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest); CINAHL (EBSCO); Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (EBSCO); and Library Literature and Information Science Full Text (EBSCO). To identify unpublished sources, we searched the internet using Google and contacted two health sciences library listservs. We also performed backwards and forwards searching of our included sources.

Results

Our database searches yielded 4842 sources, and we retrieved an additional 579 sources through supplementary retrieval methods. After duplicate removal and screening, we included 105 sources in this review. The included sources were published between 1970 to 2021 and covered a range of topics such as searching methods and tools, critical appraisal, and many more. Those related to evidence-based practice (EBP) appeared around 2001 and bibliometrics and bioinformatics arose after 2016. Publications depicting HSLs teaching CE most commonly occurred in academic settings. The most common population taught was nurses, followed by physicians. Most sources did not report using an information literacy framework or instructional design model, undertaking needs assessments, or reporting formal objectives or assessment.

Conclusion

While HSLs are active supporters of EBP, we need to apply the same principles to our own professional practice. Formal structure of programming and program assessment combined with clear, detailed reporting can help to build a more robust evidence base to support future CE provision.

Library or iSchool Involvement in Health-Related Informatics Education

Objective: An underexplored area in Library and Information Science (LIS) is the development of educational offerings and partnerships in Health-Related Informatics (HRI) (e.g., bioinformatics, clinical informatics, health informatics). The purpose of this study is to identify which disciplines are collaborating in HRI education and how partnerships developed. Methods: This study was conducted in two parts: a website review and survey. Seventy-seven North American ALA-accredited and iSchool member websites were searched between November 2019-March 2020 for HRI-related educational offerings and which academic units were involved. Two hundred sixteen individuals involved in LIS and/or HRI education were contacted for a 40-question survey that included: their roles and responsibilities regarding HRI education; the alignment of this education with strategic plans or competencies; and how HRI partnerships developed. The survey also asked those who were not currently partnering in HRI education which factors influenced their circumstances. Results: 352 HRI educational offerings existed within ALA-accredited or iSchool programs. A total of 38 (17.5%) responded to the survey. For almost two-thirds of these, there was no indication of partnership in that education (213/352, 60.5%). LIS or iSchool involvement in HRI is just under one-third of all offerings (111/352, 31%). “Health or healthcare” informatics (35) or “biomedical or bioinformatics” were the most common types of HRI offered from the website review and survey. Conclusions: Opportunities exist for LIS programs to form HRI educational partnerships that will provide richer educational offerings for LIS students and health sciences librarians.