The patient-centered bibliography: uniting library services with the mission of the psychiatric hospital

The primary function of a hospital is patient care. The development of a patient-centered bibliography is suggested as the most effective way of organizing information and insuring its use in the psychiatric hospital. The patient-centered bibliography is a collection of readings which are especially pertinent to the care of an individual patient. It consists of a core of current literature organized around the patient's multiaxial diagnosis (including psychosocial stresses), but may also include articles on psychopharmacology, special psychotherapeutic techniques, and literature on family dynamics. The collection can be expanded to include patient-centered information for two other purposes as well: milieu therapy and patient education.