A practical toolkit for clinicians to locate best evidence to improve patient outcomes

Tags: Poster
Kendall S1, Ryu M1, Walsh C1
1Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Health System

Background:

Sinai Health System (SHS) is an internationally recognized academic health sciences centre affiliated with the University of Toronto. With more than 28,809 admissions a year, clinicians at SHS are often challenged with locating the best available published evidence at the time of need. An overwhelming number of electronic resources are available and this is coupled with long hours of clinical work, which includes clinicians working in multiple locations. Our library recognizes how staff may be prevented from easily and seamlessly seeking information in an efficient and timely manner.

Objective:

The goal is to provide a simple, practical teaching tool to help clinicians easily find quality health information from the vast offerings of publishers.

Methods:

The SHS Library has created a toolkit that groups electronic resources into tiers based on the hierarchy of evidence, using a step-by-step approach. The SHS Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Resources Toolkit lists key electronic resources available through the library. Mobile application options are available for most of the resources.

Results:

Since its publication in 2008, the toolkit has received positive feedback from medical students and in-house clinical staff. In addition, the toolkit has been incorporated into the teachings of the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians of Ontario, the Ministry of Public Health, and various hospital and patient libraries across the Greater Toronto Area.

Conclusions:

The toolkit continues to add value to our hospital. The SHS Library encourages other libraries and institutions to adapt the toolkit for their users.

Patient and healthcare consumer involvement:

The updated toolkit has proven to be a useful navigation tool for our patients seeking quality health information for themselves and their families.