IFMH Inform Volume 16, Number 1

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CONTENTS:

Evidence based management and the role of the Fool
David Naylor, Programme Director, Leadership & Development, King’s Fund

This paper considers the role and responsibility of the information professional to develop and support managers to use evidence to underpin their decisions. I cite Homa (1998) to explain why evidence based management is desirable. I use the role of mentor to explore how a more assertive role with managers can be developed. I use my own experience of managing to explore how being helped to recognise and use the literature made me a more effective leader. I explain that how this was done was critical, because like many leaders, I was anxious about what I did not know. Therefore, information professionals have to effectively manage relationships if they are to work more closely with managers. I conclude by suggesting that the modern day equivalent of the Fool is the information professional. That is, someone who is authorised and capable of speaking out to confront the prevailing logic and put forward alternative ideas.

This article by is based on a presentation given at the April 2005 IFMH study day Meeting the challenge of evidence-based health management: the information professional's role.

Seven steps to patient safety

S J Woodward, Head of Patient Safety Improvement, National Patient Safety Agency

The Seven Steps to Patient Safety is the National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) guidance for healthcare professionals, to help them improve patient care and safety. The final guide was a combination of a systematic review and the outcome of discussions with international and national patient safety experts, as the main author, this was combined with my own personal experience and expertise. The success of Seven Steps appears to be that it sells a message which connects to the reader. Through Seven Steps the NPSA has been able to; equip our key audiences with the evidence they needed to leverage resources internally and to demonstrate that we can help them meet other existing targets; to raise awareness across the NHS of patient safety, and provide useful solutions and interventions which can make a difference to patient safety locally.

This article by is based on a presentation given at the April 2005 IFMH study day Meeting the challenge of evidence-based health management: the information professional's role.

Satisfy managers’ information needs: become a knowledge broker!

Andrew Booth, Senior Lecturer in Evidence Based Healthcare Information, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield

This article by is based on a presentation given at the April 2005 IFMH study day Meeting the challenge of evidence-based health management: the information professional's role.
 

Are we being DIM? Disseminating information to managers

Sue Lacey Bryant, Independent Information Specialist, E-mail:

NHS managers are afraid of missing key information but lack time to seek it out, and experience information overload. The responsibility of librarians to disseminate information thoughtfully has never been greater, hence recognition of the environment in which NHS managers work is important. Lacey Bryant moves on to review what we know about the information needs and preferences of senior managers. They want information to be targeted, concise and delivered to the ‘door’. Styles of information use differ between former health professionals and ‘lay’ managers. Recommending the preparation of a communications plan, the author suggests resources on effective dissemination. The paper highlights several types of service that may be helpful to managers, from current awareness services and literature searching to innovative roles facilitating online communities and exclusive learning sets. Some information services are shifting their focus to do more to help NHS managers become more effective.

This article by is based on a presentation given at the April 2005 IFMH study day Meeting the challenge of evidence-based health management: the information professional's role.

The role of the clinical librarian: can our experience of supporting clinicians be transferred to managers?

Jacqueline Verschuere, Clinical Librarian, Clinical Sciences Library, University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire

Clinical librarians directly supporting clinicians in evidence based practice is a concept that is gaining momentum and familiarity in the United Kingdom.  The variability of ‘clinical librarian services’ as a whole, makes it difficult to determine what a clinical librarian is and what a clinical librarian does.  In terms of evaluation the ‘value laden’ rather than quantative measures of performance are difficult to capture, particularly in respect to the impact a clinical librarian has on patient care.

What is apparent are the skills that clinical librarians have acquired in order to deliver their services successfully within the clinical setting.  This paper explores the various models that have been used to match the needs of  targeted clinical users.  Focusing on marketing our professional skill base and applying appropriate models to facilitate service provision, the working ethics of a clinical librarian can with adequate research and communication be transferred to managers.

This article by is based on a presentation given at the April 2005 IFMH study day Meeting the challenge of evidence-based health management: the information professional's role.

IFM Healthcare News

Maria J Grant, Chair, Information for the Management of Healthcare (IFMH)

IFMH Committee meeting: 4^th March 2005: digest of minutes

Karen Macpherson, Secretary, Information for the Management of Healthcare (IFMH)

Health policies & health service research: resource guide

Bertha Yuen Man Low, West Midlands Library Services Development Unit

Surf's Up - Internet sites of interest

Anthea Sutton, Information Officer (Reviews and Special Projects), SCHARR, and Caron Hartley, Research Librarian, King's Fund Information and Library Service

Sidelines

Jo Davey, Julie Glanville, Su Golder,  Kate Light, Lisa Stirk and Kath Wright, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York

The Sidelines abstracts in this issue focus on effective searching via search filters, the continuing discussion around clinical trial registration, assessments of health management information sources, how to present information to health care professionals and guidance on preparing grant proposals.

National Library for Health update

Alison Turner, Library Partnership Co-ordinator, National electronic Library for Health (NeLH)

NLH Management News

Lynette Cawthra, Joint Project Manager, NLH Management

National Library for Health Management Briefing 05/01: Evidence Based Health Management

Compiled by Andrew Booth

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Please note: Many Inform articles contain links to web pages. These links were active at the date of publication but IFMH cannot guarantee to maintain links to pages which have subsequently moved or ceased to exist.

This page was last updated on: 21 August 2006