Table of Contents
About NWAS LIS 2
Context 2
Methodology 3
Reporting Schedule 3
Data Collection 3
Survey Delivery 3
Sample Size 4
Promoting the Impact Survey 4
Data 4
Question One 4
Question Two 5
Question Three 5
Question Four 6
Question Five 6
Question Six 7
Question Seven 7
Question Eight 8
Summary and Analysis 8
About NWAS LIS
NWAS Library & Information Service [NWAS LIS] was created in March 2009. NWAS LIS has a number of distinctive characteristics:
· it is a virtual service delivered via e-mail, mobile phone, internet/web and social networking;
· the Outreach Librarian travels to service points or to meet users at their place of work;
· NWAS is the only Ambulance Trust in the UK with a dedicated library and information service.
NWAS LIS operates independently of other NHS Library Services but does participate in North West regional partnerships with other NHS and University Libraries through Library and InformationHealth Network North West [LIHNN]. The Trust receives 20K funding from The Health Care Libraries Unit [HCLU] as a contribution towards the Outreach Librarian salary costs. NWAS LIS is part of Learning & Development. See also organisational diagram below.
Context
The NWAS LIS Impact Survey 2012/15 addresses three areas:
· The Library Quality Assurance Framework requires that 1.3c The positive impact of library/knowledge services can be demonstrated. The NWAS LIS Impact Survey 2012/15 is specifically aimed at satisfying this criterion.
· Impact Surveys are part of the good practice toolkit of a well founded Library & Information Service. NWAS LIS is committed to understanding the impact of its services to support a case for value for money for NWAS LIS and in maintaining a focus on customers and the delivery of the NWAS LIS Strategy 2012/15.
· Impact Surveys provide valuable intelligence about the perception of Library Services by library users, and informs about the use of services and opportunities for service development and innovation.
Methodology
Reporting Schedule
The NWAS Library Impact Survey 2012/15 is planned to run over three years. There will be four reports based on data collected: First Report August 2012, Second Report August 2013, Third Report August 2014 and Final Report August 2015. Data will be collected continuously from July 2012 to July 2015 and analysed for each calendar year of the survey and cumulatively over the life of the survey.
Data Collection
Data is being collected using Survey Monkey (Basic Version). The survey instruments are based on the SHALL Impact Survey Template[i]. These are:
Impact Questionnaire: An online questionnaire of 8 questions with an alternative Word version. The questionnaire seeks to illicit information about the respondent, their motivations for using or not using NWAS LIS and the impact the information they received on a range of possible outcomes. [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8RRSL6J ]
Case Study: A case study template of 5 questions with a Word alternative version. The questionnaire is deigned to illicit information about a specific enquiry. [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7FXGTNM ]
Post Search Questionnaire: A post mediated search questionnaire of 6 questions with an alternative Word version. The questionnaire is deigned to illicit specific information about the impact of information provided by literature searches. [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MJR2J92 ]
Additional Qualitative Data: The NWAS LIS Librarian will collect and summarise additional qualitative data where opportunities arise, for example form one to one interactions with service users.
Data will be collected continuously over the period from July 2012 to August 2015. The NWAS Librarian can review the data results online and generate additional reports from the Impact Survey data as and when required.
Survey Delivery
All questionnaires are available on the Internet. The Impact Questionnaire and the Case Study questionnaire are permanently available on the NWAS LIS website [ http://www.networks.nhs.uk/nhs-networks/nwas-library-and-information-service/guides#section-3 ]. The Post Search Questionnaire is available on the web. Links to the questionnaire will be sent to individuals who use request mediated searches [ http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MJR2J92 ].
Sample Size
The NWAS LIS Impact Survey aims to collect a minimum of 50 responses each year to 2015, with a total minimum response rate of 150 equivalent to c3% of the total NWAS NHS Trust workforce.
Promoting the Impact Survey
The major challenge of surveys of this type is to leverage response rates. The NWAS LIS Impact Survey has been promoted in:
· Internal News Bulletins
· Internal clinical newsletter ClearVision
· In e-mail communication to NWAS staff
· NWAS LIS Librarians e-mail signature
· Through interactions with the NWAS Library and Information Service
Currently the survey has been running for 1 month July 2012 – August 2012, with 22 responses. It is anticipated that the response rate for the Second Report will be driven up over the year from August 2012 – August 2013, through interactions with NWAS LIS.
Data
Question One
Question Two
Response to Other (please tell us more)
To retrieve specific papers which I had found but had restricted access from home
Question Three
Responses to Other (please tell us more)
[The Librarian] is extremely helpful and a great resource
Question Four
Responses from Other (please tell us more)
Content for a workshop
Question Five
Responses from Other (please tell us more)
Used to update information given to staff//
Mandatory Training for CPD//
How we handle a specific group of patients to improve patient and staff safety//Enhanced the information we could provide to managers/leaders//It has the potential to change aspects of care, but in the future
Question Six
Question Seven
Please tell us about anything else you did differently as a result of finding this information.
Development of a new policy.
I receive regular information from our library service which keeps me up to date with new Infection Control information.
Was able to use this information to provide a concise report and contribute to development of a self managed learning pack.
The Library service is essential as the profession becomes more research focussed.
I had a better over all understanding of topic and now I am going to use some o this information to educate others, promote mental health issues among staff and help overall wellbeing
I will use the service again!
Question Eight
Responses from Other (please tell us more)
Clinical Safety
Case Study
This case study is indicative, combining one response to the Case Study questionnaire and e-mail feedback directly to NWAS LIS from those in Higher Education.
Title: / Students researching for Paramedic Diploma/BSc. Paramedic Degree.Summary of problem or reason for enquiry (3 sentences): / Student X is studying modules part time, at a distance and working full time. Physical access to the University Library and Learning Support is problematic. Student X asks for assistance with searching and access to full text materials through the duration of the course.
Briefly describe what information was found: / Searches supporting assignments, projects and dissertations with additional pointers to the professional literature (reports, guidelines, consultations and briefing documents).
Give up to four short quotations demonstrating how patient care changed as a result of the information provided or found: / Informed by a broader range of relevant material: “[The Librarian] found many articles and items of significant interest - in fact opening my opening my eyes to the scope of the subject.”
Support for NWAS Staff who are in education and who also work in front line services: “The ability to access literature quickly proved extremely useful.” and “thank you forpointing me in the right direction with numerous research articles over the past fifteen months”.
Summary and Analysis
NWAS LIS is perceived as providing better quality and more comprehensive searches than most users felt they could achieve on their own. A minority of users feel confident to do their own searches.
Information provided by NWAS LIS influences outcomes across the range of options offered. The top three are: 1) advice to colleagues, 2) service development and 3) confirming patient care or treatment.
Information provided by NWAS LIS has changed aspects of patient care: The top three are: 1) Guideline and pathway development, 2) Advice given to patients and carers, 3) Quality of life for patients or family = Choice of drugs or other treatments = Diagnosis = No change.
NWAS LIS can evidence support for the significant number of staff who are currently in higher education and those using NWAS LIS to support other learning activities. The top three are: 1) I learned something new, 2) It refreshed my memory of the topic, 3) I shared the information with colleagues.
NWAS LIS positively influences activities that support other NWAS Staff, such as training and the preparation of training materials and information exchange between colleagues. This is indicative of secondary impacts[ii] [iii]. NWAS LIS is influencing those who influence others who deliver care to patients.
Matt Holland
Librarian
NWAS LIS
August 2012
[i] SHALL,2012. Impact Toolkit. Wigan: SHALL. Available from: http://www.libraryservices.nhs.uk/forlibrarystaff/impactassessment/impact_toolkit.html [Accessed 17 August 2012].
[ii] Holland M. Diffusion of innovation theories and their relevance to understanding the role of librarians when introducing users to networked information. The Electronic Library. 1997;15(5):389–394. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/eb045587 [Accessed 18 August , 2012].
[iii] Holland M. The change agent. In: Reid BJ, Foster W, eds. Achieving cultural change in networked libraries. Aldershot: Ashgate; 2000:288p. Available at: http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/498/ [Accessed 18 August 2012].