Related Experiment Videos
Performing continuous quality improvement for a digital health sciences library through an electronic mail analysis
D M D'Alessandro1, F Qian, M P D'Alessandro
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA. donna-dalessandro@uiowa.edu
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
|November 6, 1998
Summary
Digital health sciences libraries (DHSLs) are valuable resources, primarily used by patients and students for medical advice. These libraries successfully provide answers to over half of user inquiries, highlighting their importance in health information access.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Medical Library Science
- Digital Health
Background:
- Investigated user demographics, usage motivations, information request types, and success rates for a digital health sciences library (DHSL).
- Employed a prospective, cross-sectional study design to gather data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the user base and effectiveness of a DHSL.
- To inform the development and service offerings of digital health libraries.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 500 consecutive electronic mail (e-mail) messages submitted to a DHSL.
- Utilized a predetermined coding scheme for data analysis and performed frequency analysis.
Main Results:
- Received 751 information requests; patients/laypersons were the largest user group, followed by students and physicians.
- Primary motivations included seeking medical advice (42.8%) and patient care information (13.8%).
- Information requests were successfully answered 54.3% of the time, with 97.8% of users finding the DHSL valuable.
Conclusions:
- Digital health sciences libraries are vital medical resources.
- DHSLs must cater to the diverse information needs of patients, laypersons, and healthcare providers.
- Findings can guide future development of DHSL content and services.