C1b Library Impact Case Study

Library concerned: Outreach Service, Surrey & Sussex Healthcare Library & Knowledge Services
Name of case study: Mobile Working – evidence searches & document supply part in service redesign and presenting findings
Date of interview: 9th September 2016
Interviewee / Name: Lena Abdu
Job Title: Clinical Team Leader
Trust/Employing body: First Community Health and Care
Email:
Tel: 07821741072
Summary of problem or reason for enquiry / I was leading on behavioural and cultural change during the introduction of mobile working and I needed relevant information to inform the approach that I took.
Brief description of the information found / service provided / The Outreach Librarian carried out a number of searches on this topic, following through to the library service providing me with copies of the relevant documents.
This includes a dialogue with the Outreach Librarian concerning searches to clarify and refine the search as the search progresses.
“My needs were quite be-spoke, Holly is quite intuitive and will come up with relevant suggestions to broaden the search.”
Summary of outcome and impact / Mobile Working
Broadly it has led to publication (one last year and one this year). E.g. on mobile working for Health visitors in the Journal of Health Visiting and presenting at national conference CPHVA conference Nov 2016, Telford and locally at Communities of Practice which is where 3 provider organisations come together to share best practice
Also use literature searches to inform my practice, I was leading on behavioural and cultural change during the introduction of mobile working and used the series of searches to work out how to proceed, what the blocks were, what could be used to persuade others. From that then looked specifically at the implications of mobile working on health visitors and this led to the article and presentation.
“I don’t think I would have contemplated writing for publication had this service not been available”
“If a project takes longer because you are trying to reinvent the wheel, then that costs money. If you have the background knowledge there at the starting point then the project gets off the ground quicker.”
Immediate Impact
(including quotes) / The Service “reduced risks as use the evidence found to enable health visitors to know how to carry out mobile working effectively, e.g. to ensure that they avoid using their equipment as a barrier between themselves and their clients, and ensuring good IG. In both cases the background information came from articles that Holly found.”
“Mobile working enables us to show clients at the time of the visit e.g. information on the Internet of relevant websites. Technology wise health care is significantly behind and the searches Holly carried out helped me to understand the wider issues and barriers and to be more informed in enabling the behavioural and cultural change required for mobile working.”
“The Library service saves me time and is very efficient. Librarians find the relevant items for you very quickly, so why wouldn’t I use it? It takes the leg work out of finding the evidence.
There is a whole chain of people involved with the patient at the end and the librarian is part of that chain as they provide the evidence to support you in delivering the service to the patient.”
“Definitely, massively, library service has enabled me to have two articles published and to present at two national conferences in the last year, without the evidence supplied by the library service, this would not have been possible to achieve.
Having access to the Holly and the rest of the library service has made me more proactive because I know that there is someone who can help me find the evidence. I can go to a meeting more informed, with relatively little effort on my part.”
Probable future Impact
(including quotes) / “The library service is like a hidden treasure, sometimes I like to tell other people about it and then other times I think I would like to keep it to myself so that Holly still has time to work with me!
It helps with my resilience, the library service is a resource that is still there and the library service will help you make a difference.”