1. Introducing a formal IL
programme to healthcare
professionals – a case study
Aoife Lawton – Systems Librarian
aoife.lawton@hse.ie
Digital Natives ? Current practices and future trends in
information skills training Academic & Special Libraries
Section Annual Seminar 8th May, 2008

2. Outline
• Background / Rationale
• Training Cycle
• IL programme
• Implementation
• Lessons learned
• Future

3. Training Need/Rationale for IL Programme
• General increase in demand for • Survey conducted summer 2007
training • 31% of respondents were non library
• 71% of budget spent on electronic users, one suggestion was to “Make
resources half a working day/month in library
• Resources change & interfaces towards CPD as mandatory for all HSE
change regularly staff. “
• Future of library - training as a • 31.5% never used library because they
promotional tool were “unaware of library services”
• The purpose of the HSE, as in Health • 10% of suggestions included demand
Act 2004 for more training
– “to use the resources available to it in
the most beneficial, effective and
efficient manner to improve, promote Admin/Mgt
and protect the health and welfare of Survey Response by User Category
the public.” Allied Health
• Mission of library service: “to provide Nurses
information and knowledge to advance Population Health
health. Our aim is to deliver high quality Scientific/Technical
health information to satisfy the needs of
service providers, administrators and Social Workers /
Counsellors
consumers in the region” Dentists
Doctors
Environmental Health
Officers
Consultants

4. Training Cycle & Marketing Mix
3 P’s:
• Product
• Place
• Promotion

5. 8 HSE Libraries in Dublin,
Wicklow & Kildare
HSE DUBLIN,
WICKLOW &
KILDARE
HSE DUBLIN HSE DUBLIN
M ID-LEINSTER NORTH EAST
REGIONAL LIBRARY ST. COLUMCILLES CONNOLLY HOSPITAL CONNOLLY HOSPITAL
DR. STEEVENS HOSPITAL LIBRARY MEDICAL LIBRARY NURSING LIBRARY
HSE CORPORATE NAAS GENERAL ST. ITAS HOSPITAL
LIBRARY PALMERSTOWN HOSPITAL LIBRARY LIBRARY PORTRANE
HEALTH PROMOTION UNIT
LIBRARY TALLAGHT

6. Breakdown of Athens users 2007
Sci/Tech
600 Pop Health
Nur/MW PCCC
Nur/MW Acute
500
NSS
HSE Corp
400 Doc Pop Health
Doc PCCC
Doc Acute
300 Dentist
Consultant PCCC
200 Consultant Acute
Allied H PCCC
Allied H Acute
100 Admin Mngt PCCC
Admin Mngt Acute
0
2007

7. HSE Organisation Structure

8. Determine & Design
• Target audience: Regional Library Dr. Steevens
Users are health professionals working in HSE
hospitals & communities in Dublin, Wicklow &
Kildare = doctors, nurses, allied health
• Stats: 1884 active athens users, 2339 library
members.
• Demand from: mainly nurses & allied health
• Resources: ejournals, databases, catalogue,
website

9. IL Programme
(Product)
4 courses:
1. Information Seeking
to support Nursing
Practice
2. Keeping up to date
with allied health
information
3. The Cochrane Library
– an introduction
4. Beginning a literature
review: finding &
managing information

10. Session Design
• 2 sessions 10am-1pm, 2pm-445pm with
10 minute break in each session.
• Training booking form included learning
objectives of attendees
• Nursing Practice: library intro, demo,
exercises
• Allied Health: library intro, 3 demo, 3 sets
of exercises

11. Learning Objectives Nursing
Practice
• “to enhance my computer skills including lit
searches and presentations”
• “to get an update on sourcing current info on
nursing research”
• “to obtain info skills to resource current nursing
literature, drug & patient info”
• “to increase knowledge of cardiovascular health
in Ireland”

12. Learning Objectives Allied Health
1. To become familiar with library services &
resources
2. To gain information for evidence based
treatment
3. Keep up to date with new information & library
material on an ongoing basis
4. How to use the internet to access health data,
journals, searching etc.
5. Be more efficient in using databases (Cinahl
etc.)
6. Get quicker at finding what I need

13. Training attendees
• Session 1: • Session 2:
• S&L Therapist • Addiction
• Childminders Rehabilitation x 8
Advisory • Senior Community
• Occupational Therapy Dietician
Project Manager • Senior
• Senior Community Physiotherapist
Dietitian
• Senior
Physiotherapists x4

14. Allied Health Session Outline
• Library Services
• Information Skills (5 steps)
• Demo of databases (Cinahl,
ScienceDirect, Psychology & Behavioural
Science) and Internet (Scirus, Google
Scholar, Google Advanced)
• Exercises, answers demonstrated later on
screen

15. Information Skills (5 steps)
• Plan your search
• Identify the relevant resources
• Know where to search & how to ‘login’
• Evaluate results
• Save & organise your results

16. Allied Health Exercises
LIBRARY CATALOGUE iLINK
• 1. Find a book on one of the following topics (choose one relevant
to you). How many titles can you find?:
• Childcare
• Back pain
• Communication disorders
• Language disorders
• Occupational therapy
• Nutrition
• Physiotherapy
• 2. Who is the author of the book “Effective information retrieval
from the internet an advanced user's guide” and where can it be
found? (what library, what shelf number)

17. Allied Health Exercises continued.
SCIENCEDIRECT EBSCO’S CINAHL
For Physiotherapists: For Physiotherapists:
• • Login to Athens click on EBSCO Host Databases –
1. Login to Athens – go to ScienceDirect – register select CINAHL – click Sign In – I’m a new user and
if you are a new user – set up a topic alert for register
Physical therapy and any other topics of your
choice. • Set up a journal alert for Physiotherapy Frontline
• 2. Set up a journal alert for the journal and Physiotherapy Ireland.
“Physiotherapy” in ScienceDirect and any other • Email the following article to yourself:
journals you are interested in. • “Bridging the gap - how therapists-in-training
• 3. Set up a search alert in ScienceDirect for can facilitate research for clinicians”. Pettigrew
“physiotherapy best practice” (hint: run the search CM Physical Therapy Reviews, 2006; 11 (3): 205
first) ISSN: 1083-3196
For Dieticians: • Do a search for physical therapy practice as a
• Login to Athens – go to ScienceDirect – register if major concept and refine the search by selecting
you are a new user – set up a topic alert for UK & Ireland journals. Add some recent citations to
Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular diseases your folder.
and any other topics of your choice. • Find an evidence based care sheet on stroke
• Set up a journal alert for Nutrition and Nutrition rehabilitation
Research. For Dieticians:
• Set up a search alert in ScienceDirect for “nutrition Login to Athens click on EBSCO Host Databases –
AND health promotion” (hint: run the search first) select CINAHL
For Speech & Language Therapists: click Sign In – click on “I’m a new user” and register
• Login to Athens – go to ScienceDirect – register if 1. Set up a journal alert for Nutrition and Dietetics
you are a new user - Set up a journal alert for 2.Email the following article to yourself: Continuing
Journal of Communication Disorders education. Type 1 diabetes: nutrition management.
• set up a search alert in ScienceDirect for “speech O'Reilly-Marshall A World of Irish Nursing &
and language therapy” Midwifery, Jul/Aug2007; 15 (7): 45-6 ISSN: 1393-
8088
For Occupational Therapists 3. Do a search for dieticians as a major concept.
• Login to Athens – go to ScienceDirect – register if Refine the search by selecting UK & Ireland
you are a new user – set up a topic alert for journals. Add some recent citations to your folder.
Occupational Therapy. 4. Find an Quick Lesson on Bulimia
• Set up a search alert in ScienceDirect for
“occupational therapy” 5. Search for a topic of your choice and set it up as a
search alert.
• CHILDLINKFor Childminders Advisory Service
• 1. Login to Athens – click on Childlink – Register
and

18. Delivery & Support in HSE
• HSE Corporate Learning & Development
Unit prospectus included 4 library courses
• Secured training room from L & D
• Onsite catering at Dr. Steevens
• Promotion:
– Leaflet distributed to 200 HSE locations in
region.
– Broadcast email sent to all staff in HSE DWK
region

19. Evaluation & Validation
• All courses fully booked with waiting lists.
• Practice nurse course led to 4 other group
sessions
• New library memberships & repeat
business (book lending, ILLs etc.)
• Course evaluation form at end of each
session.

20. Regional Library NSS Training
Evaluation Form
Course Title: NAME OF COURSE
Date: Instructor: NAME OF INSTRUCTOR
Your name (optional): _________________________________
Email (optional): _________________________________
Phone (optional): _________________________________
Please make any additional comments where appropriate
1. Please rate the course according to the following scale:
• Training Content: Not useful Fairly useful Useful Very useful
• Training Materials: Not useful Fairly useful Useful Very useful
• Training Presentation:Not useful Fairly useful Useful Very useful
2. How would you rate the relevance of this course to your job?
• Not relevant Fairly relevant Relevant Very relevant
3. How satisfied have you been with the following? (Select one per question)
• 5=Strongly Agree/Very Satisfied 1=Strongly Disagree/Very Dissatisfied
• Administration 1 2 3 4 5
• Venue 1 2 3 4 5
• Course length was adequate 1 2 3 4 5
• This training course will help me with my job Yes/No
• Would you recommend the course to others? Yes/No
4. Please provide suggestions for improving the training session:
______________________________________________________________
5. Any other comments on the course:
______________________________________________________________

21. Some feedback
• “Reinforced existing knowledge as well as
adding more useful tips”
• “longer time more attention to individual
learner/less computer literate”
• “alternate between practice exercises &
explanations”
• “step by step handouts to take away”
• “refresher course needed in a few months”
• “would like training on ref manager”

22. Lessons Learned
• Break up allied health course for specific
disciplines
• Include question on booking form about
computer skills
• Source better venue
• Organise follow up courses for attendees
• Redesign evaluation form to include
question about patient care

23. Future
• More training
• Accreditation for courses
• Redesign of library space to include
training area