摘要：Objective: The research sought to evaluate whether providing personalized information services by libraries can improve satisfaction with information services for specific types of patients. Methods: Adult breast cancer (BrCa) clinic patients and mothers of inpatient neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients were randomized to receive routine information services (control) or an IRx intervention. Results: The BrCa trial randomized 211 patients and the NICU trial, 88 mothers. The BrCa trial showed no statistically significant differences in satisfaction ratings between the treatment and control groups. The IRx group in the NICU trial reported higher satisfaction than the control group regarding information received about diagnosis, treatments, respiratory tradeoffs, and medication tradeoffs. BrCa patients posed questions to librarians more frequently than did NICU mothers, and a higher percentage reported using the website. Questions asked of the librarians by BrCa patients were predominantly clinical and focused on the areas of treatment and side effects. Conclusions: Study results provide some evidence to support further efforts to both implement information prescription projects in selected settings and to conduct additional research on the costs and benefits of services. Highlights The information prescription (IRx) services as implemented at Johns Hopkins were customized to the particular patient group served and involved both web resources and access to a librarian. This evaluation was the first controlled clinical trial of a library-based IRx service. Outcomes of the prescription service were somewhat different for the adult breast cancer (BrCa) clinic patients and mothers of inpatient neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients. BrCa patients and NICU parents receiving information prescription services reported greater satisfaction with the overall information they received, but BrCa patients did not experience significantly greater satisfaction. Both NICU parents and BrCa patients used the website and librarian services. Levels of use were greater for the BrCa patients. BrCa patients in the treatment group also expressed greater levels of reassurance with the information they received from Hopkins. Implications Implementation of IRx services requires close collaboration with health care providers in terms of both content and logistics. Libraries considering implementing IRx services would be wise to begin with one patient group and to carefully consider what group might benefit most from such services. Study results provide a basis for further testing of IRx services and related information use concepts.
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