Objective: The purpose of this review is to evaluate the tools used to measure the financial value of libraries in a clinical setting. Methods: Searches were carried out on ten databases for the years 2003-2013, with a final search before completion to identify any recent papers. Results: Eleven papers met the final inclusion criteria. There was no evidence of a single 'best practice', and many metrics used to measure financial impact of clinical libraries were developed on an ad hoc basis locally. The most common measures of financial impact were value of time saved, value of resource collection against cost of alternative sources, cost avoidance and revenue generated through assistance on grant submissions. Few papers provided an insight into the longer term impact on the library service resulting from submitting return on investment (ROI) or other financial impact statements. • It is worth pursuing the concept of value of information studies in the context of clinical libraries.• Health library associations should collaborate on the development of common measurement standards, which reflect accounting practices in the wider clinical setting.• Health librarians should commit to adopting and implementing these standards in their own organisation.• It is important that health librarians identify and include feedback and outcomes in studies analysing the financial impact of their clinical library service.
The Hospital Library Caucus of the Medical Library Association (MLA) follows the practice established in 1953 of developing quality indicators and best practices in the newly developing and fast-changing world of hospital libraries. As these libraries increased in number and prominence, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO) included in 1978 a hospital library standard developed in collaboration with MLA. Subsequent changes in JCAHO, then The Joint Commission (TJC) knowledge management criteria as well as technological changes in the curation and delivery of evidence-based resources influenced standards changes over the years. The 2022 standards mark the most recent edition, replacing the 2007 standards.
F lorence Nightingale recognized the value of lifelong learning skills in one of her famous quotes, "Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all of our lives." This quote remains as true today as it was in the 1800s. The American Nurses Association (ANA) standards address the ongoing need for nurses to expand their knowledge, abilities, skill set, and judgment to enhance their performance while staying informed of professional issues (ANA, 2015). The ANA also stresses the importance of using "current evidence-based knowledge including research findings to guide practice" (ANA, 2015). Evidence-based care has shown to not only improve quality of health care but also improve health outcomes for patients (Cullen, Hanrahan, Farrington, Anderson, Dimmer, Miner, Suchan, & Rod, 2020). Busy health care professionals stay current in a myriad of ways. Technology tools that search and retrieve articles from literature databases such as CINAHL, OVID, and PubMed are an attractive way to connect users to research. Other tools, such as apps used by mobile devices, have multifunctional benefits in health care and include medical education, clinical decision making, and patient monitoring (Ventola, 2014). The same can be applied to nursing education and training. Used for research, apps have also transformed the way health care professionals perform searches of literature databases since the apps can help to identify and alert researchers to published nursing and medical information.One such app, "Read" by QxMD, painlessly simplifies access to literature of interest. Through its mobile
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