Providing Information to Support COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Academic Medical Librarians' Roles in Creating an...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Medical Informatics
• Information Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid dissemination of critical health information.
• Clinicians and leadership required a centralized, authoritative source for COVID-19 data.
• Existing information channels were insufficient for the pandemic's demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a daily COVID-19 Intelligence Report for George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).
• To provide concise, authoritative COVID-19 information to clinicians, the GW COVID-19 Incident Management Team, and operational leaders.
• To create a reliable resource for managing the evolving COVID-19 landscape.

Main Methods:

• The Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Public Health initiated the report.
• An Intelligence Gathering Team, including clinicians and librarians, was formed.
• Himmelfarb librarians managed the collection, distribution, and archiving of COVID-19 literature and reports.

Main Results:

• A daily COVID-19 Intelligence Report was successfully implemented.
• The report served as a vital information conduit during the early pandemic.
• Librarian support was crucial for organizing and disseminating critical COVID-19 resources.

Conclusions:

• The establishment of the COVID-19 Intelligence Report demonstrated an effective model for information management during a public health crisis.
• Collaboration between clinical leadership and librarians was key to the report's success.
• This initiative highlights the essential role of information professionals in supporting healthcare institutions during emergencies.