Clinical informationist educational needs and goals: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Medical Librarianship
• Information Science
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Clinical Informationists (CIs) are emerging professionals integrated into clinical care teams.
• CIs bridge the information gap for healthcare workers and patients.
• Standardized education is crucial for effective CI practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the educational goals for clinical informationists.
• To determine the essential educational needs for clinical informationists.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was performed following PRISMA guidelines.
• Extensive databases (e.g., Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE) and a relevant journal were searched.
• 1026 studies were screened, with 38 included in the final analysis.

Main Results:

• Identified 18 educational goals across cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor domains.
• Determined 8 core educational needs: research methods, statistics, education, medical knowledge, library science, clinical environment, evidence-based practice, IT, and management/leadership.
• Current medical librarianship education partially addresses these needs.

Conclusions:

• Specialized education and curriculum development are required for clinical informationists.
• Findings provide a foundation for defining CI competencies and curricula.
• Future research should focus on detailed competency frameworks for CIs.