The development and evaluation of a small ready-reference library collection for a rural practice: a case study

Area of Science:

• Medical Librarianship
• Rural Health Information Access
• Primary Care Practice

Background:

• Solo rural primary care practitioners face unique challenges in accessing up-to-date medical information.
• Effective information retrieval is crucial for informed clinical decision-making in underserved areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess a core collection of health sciences materials tailored to the specific needs of a solo rural primary care practice.
• To evaluate the utility of a collaboratively selected collection in meeting a rural physician's information requirements.

Main Methods:

• A cooperative selection process between a rural physician and a medical library field librarian identified 24 reference sources and 5 journals.
• The physician systematically assessed the collection's usefulness based on his experience, training, resources, and patient demographics.
• Usage statistics and needs assessment were employed to evaluate the collection's impact.

Main Results:

• The Rural Demonstration Library Collection completely satisfied the physician's information needs 66% of the time materials were consulted.
• The collection met immediate information needs completely or partially 82% of the time it was searched.
• The physician's specific situation, including medical experience and patient health problems, was a key factor in collection relevance.

Conclusions:

• A collaborative approach between librarians and solo rural practitioners can effectively identify essential health sciences materials.
• This partnership model demonstrates a viable strategy for improving information access in rural healthcare settings.
• Cooperation is vital for meeting the distinct information needs of solo rural practitioners.