Dear John,
There was an interesting article published in the BMJ on November 13th this
year entitled 'Cybermedicine' which addresses the issue of patients having
access to clinical information.
Here at Arrowe Park I do not permit patients and the general public to use
the library as I have had two occasions where relatives have tried to use
the facilities to find out about treatment options for their parents. I feel
that medics have quite a difficult enough task treating patients without
distraught relatives waving medical textbooks at them.Not every patient is a
textbook case.However, as the article I have cited suggests, the internet is
the preferred source for consumer health information, so perhaps allowing
the general public and patients access to healthcare libraries should not
really be an issue?
Mandy Elkerton
MCARDLE LIBRARY
POSTGRADUATE MEDICAL CENTRE
ARROWE PARK HOSPITAL
UPTON
WIRRAL
MERSEYSIDE
CH49 5PE
>From: "John Rule" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Patient/public access to NHS libraries
>Date: Wed, 24 Nov 1999 15:09:27 GMT
>
>Dear all,
>I was at the BL 'Sources of Health Information' course yesterday where the
>issue of patient/public access to health libraries came up. There are
>currently no national guidelines on this but government policies (informed
>choice/patient participation in decision making etc.) could well lead to a
>growing demand for access. However, quite apart from the question of
>resources, there are risks attached to patient/public access, including
>becoming a reference source for hypochondriacs to feeding the fantasies of
>would be unqualified surgeons (don't laugh - there is at least one in the
>area). Enhancing health care library/public library cooperation was
>mentioned as one possible way forward but no conclusions were reached.
>
>As Blackpool HPEC library is run jointly with the University of Central
>Lancashire the public can currently gain reference access on a no costs/no
>staff time basis under the SCONUL agreement. We do not currently advertise
>this, and, being hidden in the HPEC, we get hardly any public users. What
>is
>more surprising is that we get virtually no patients. What are others in
>the
>area doing, and should we more overt about encouraging patients to use the
>library (preferably with the support of their doctors!)
>
>Yours aye,
>John S. Rule,
>Library Services Manager,
>Blackpool HPEC Library.
>
>______________________________________________________
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Mrs A Elkerton
McArdle Library
Postgraduate Centre
Arrowe Park Hospital
Upton, Wirral
CH49 5PE
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