摘要：Objective: The research conducted a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library and information services on patient care. Methods: The study used: (1) 2 initial focus groups of librarians; (2) a web-based survey of physicians, residents, and nurses at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals; and (3) 24 follow-up telephone interviews. Survey respondents were asked to base their responses on a recent incident in which they had sought information for patient care. Results: Of the 16,122 survey respondents, 3/4 said that they had definitely or probably handled aspects of the patient care situation differently as a result of the information. Among the reported changes were advice given to the patient (48%), diagnosis (25%), and choice of drugs (33%), other treatment (31%), and tests (23%). Almost all of the respondents (95%) said the information resulted in a better informed clinical decision. Respondents reported that the information allowed them to avoid the following adverse events: patient misunderstanding of the disease (23%), additional tests (19%), misdiagnosis (13%), adverse drug reactions (13%), medication errors (12%), and patient mortality (6%). Conclusions: Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care. Highlights Library and information resources were perceived as valuable, and the information obtained was seen as having an impact on patient care. Electronic access to information resources from multiple locations has increased the ability of health professionals to use these resources for improved patient care. The roles of librarians are diversifying to include management of electronic resources, user instruction and support, specialized research and clinical information search services, and involvement in institution-level quality improvement. It is possible to conduct a large-scale, multisite study on the value and impact of library services on patient care. Implications Ongoing studies of the value and impact of library and information resources will be important for advocacy and quality improvement. Community-Based Participative Research methods hold promise as a way of ensuring the relevance of future research.
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