Library empowers families to participate
July 1, 1999
Library empowers families to participate
Better health care decisions made with knowledge
Many health care institutions are creating patient resource centers to meet consumer demand for information. Yet, making the decision to create a library or resource center is the easy decision; it’s deciding how it will be designed and run that is difficult.
Patient education managers are often placing messages on listservs, anxious for a blueprint. There are many good centers to use as a pattern. One example is Egleston Family Library at Egles ton Children’s Hospital at Emory University, which is part of the Egleston-Scottish Rite Chil dren’s Health Care System in Atlanta.
The library, which opened six years ago, has an extensive collection, with approximately 3,000 health-related books and videos, as well as such electronic resources as subscription databases, CD-ROMs, and Internet access. It is managed by a full-time paid library coordinator and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Other library services personnel work at the Egleston Family Library when the librarian is away on vacation, sick leave, or at a conference.
"The primary purpose of the Egleston Family Library is to provide understandable information to our patients and families on the conditions that bring them to the hospital. Staff members use the library when they need help explaining complicated conditions in a layperson’s language, and when they or their families have medical problems," says Arlen Gray, MA, the family library coordinator.
Volunteers staff the library a few evenings each week and a few hours on weekends as well. When on their own, their primary purpose is to check out recreational materials kept at the library. In addition to its medical collection, the library stocks hundreds of children’s books for all ages as well as movie videos to help families pass the time during a child’s hospital stay. There also is a small collection of adult reading materials and movie themes.
When volunteers help family members find medical information during the hours they are on their own in the library, they are required to log the transaction. The log sheet includes the name of the person, his or her hospital room number or telephone number, the topic, and materials provided for any searches that were completed. They provide the visitor with the library coordinator’s business card, and the coordinator also contacts the person. (To learn more about procedures for distribution of information in the library, see article, p. 82.)
To ensure that proper information will be provided, volunteers train with the coordinator. Training varies according to the volunteer’s interests and abilities. Some are ready to be on their own after their second two-hour training session.
Volunteers learn about the library’s resources and how to check materials in and out. They are asked to take an information request unless they are specifically trained to do searches. A volunteer skills checklist is used during the training period that can later be used as a cue sheet by the volunteer to remember such procedures as how to open the library or catalog books.
To make sure the collection is up to date, clinical specialists designated by the medical library committee conduct a complete shelf review every three years. The library policy is to rid shelves of materials that are five years old or more, unless the information is still accurate.
Gray continually searches for material to add to the collection, spending between $3,000 and $4,000 per year on books, videos, and magazine subscriptions. She finds material in catalogues, through suggestions from staff who have uncovered new materials at a conference, and from browsing commercial bookstores.
When new material is purchased, Gray alerts the nurse educators in that specialty area, such as cardiology, to stop by the library and review the material.
"I’m always scanning under published areas such as sickle cell, kidney, or liver. I will get the new editions of current titles, but I definitely look for new titles. I like to be as up to date as possible," says Gray.
Purchases reflect areas of high pediatric patient enrollment. For example, the cardiac collection is quite large because Egleston is one of the premier pediatric cardiology centers in the nation. The cancer collection also is large because the hospital has a major cancer center. Each year, Gray must submit a budget for operating costs that includes money for such things as supplies, books, travel expenses, and conferences.
To make sure the library is meeting the needs of patients and family members, surveys are conducted twice a year. One is conducted during National Library Week and another during National Patient Education Week. The surveys are left on a table and visitors are asked to fill them out. Questions include the reason for visiting the library, whether or not the respondent’s needs were met, if the hours are convenient, and if the respondent has any comments or suggestions.
Each quarter, a week is set aside to track transactions to determine if they are light (less than five minutes), medium (five to 15 minutes), or heavy (15 minutes to one hour). Research shows that about 110 to 125 transactions take place on a weekly basis.
Families who arrive anxious and stressed often leave the library pouring out praise for receiving information that clears up their doubts, gives them the vocabulary to converse with clinicians, and points out questions they knew they needed to ask but were not sure how, says Gray.
"The library is a definite plus for families and staff who use their time more effectively because families come to the library when they are ready and able to absorb information and return empowered to participate in health care decisions," she explains.
(Editor’s note: Egleston Family Library is one of six libraries within the ERS Children’s Health Care System. The Max Brown Family Library is located at the Scottish Rite campus, and both Egleston and Scottish Rite have a medical library. In addition, the health care system has two community sites that distribute health-related information such as well-baby care, child development, and hygiene.)
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