APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING
Dear All,
An important report has just been published by the Patient Information Forum (PIF) and it is particularly pertinent to medical and public librarians. It is also a good document to refer to when preparing a business case for the value of library services. The report is an overview of the literature about good quality consumer health information and the benefits to patients and health systems, and states that access to good quality health information "has a positive impact on service utilisation and health costs, patients’ experience of healthcare and patients’ health behaviour and status." The document is called "Making the Case for Information: The evidence for investing in high quality health information for patients and the public" and is available here:
Full text: http://www.pifonline.org.uk/case-full-report
Executive summary: http://www.pifonline.org.uk/case-exec-summary
PIF has also produced a special briefing for information specialists, showing how they can involve themselves in their organisation's work in this area: http://www.pifonline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/PiF-Briefing-Summary-HIS-Final.pdf
There are also two specialist interest groups to support this work:
SHALL (Strategic Health Library Leads) Consumer Health Information Group
http://www.libraryservices.nhs.uk/shall/shallgroups/consumerhealthinformation/
CILIP Information Literacy Group
http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/
With best wishes, from,
Caroline
Caroline De Brún
Clinical Support Librarian
Royal Free Medical Library
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