Guest Libraries Taskforce blogpost from Holly Case (Outreach Librarian for Surrey & Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust), which looks at the developing role for libraries in providing access to information for patients.
It makes some important points, including:
- There is an increasing need for patients to better self-manage their health conditions
- There are indications that up to 43% of adults don’t fully understand text-based health information
- It argues that: “Librarians and libraries are absolutely the right people to support the creation, provision and signposting of patient information and there are a number of reasons why. We are experts in finding, appraising, and packaging information based on our users’ needs.”
Holly Case. “Patient and public information –how can libraries help?” Libraries Taskforce Blog, 13 Nov 2017.