Progress, pitfalls and prognosis for clinical information programs: The Great Debate

1. Progress, pitfalls and prognosis for clinical information programs: The Great Debate • Your debaters today: • Graham Spooner – The College of Nursing • Gillian Wood – Area Library Manager Northern Sydney Central Coast Health

2. Today’s Topic: That clinical information programs in Australia have succeeded because of librarian involvement • For the positive: Graham Spooner • For the negative: • Gillian Wood

3. Why a debate? • After preparing paper Graham and Gillian • could not agree • Use “The Worm” to let audience decide • So vote early and vote often throughout the • debate

4. How does The Worm work? • Latest enhancement to PowerPoint • Psychically detects positive & negative feelings of • audience toward speakers’ statements • Concentrate on photos of debaters to maximise • effectiveness • Tallies votes for final declaration of a winner + _

5. Testing…. + _ + _

6. Format of the debate Initial arguments for the positive Initial arguments for the negative Response from the positive Response from the negative The Worm’s decision

7. Initial arguments for the positive - Graham Spooner • Clinical Information Programs spread from • beginning in NSW 1997 – A librarian • (ie my opponent) attended first committee • meeting • CLUG Committee/Group operating since 1999 + _

8. SA instigated by librarians in 1999 • Programs would not exist without • librarians in some states/territories • Success in spreading & remaining • Australia-wide a direct result of librarian • involvement + _

9. Despite original development, majority of states are now • run by librarians (librarians as Content Manager & Support • Officer in NSW) • By time of last program to be developed (EPOCH in • Tasmania) benefit of librarians leading project was • acknowledged • A case of "Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, • than outside pissing in“? (Lyndon B. Johnson, of J. Edgar • Hoover). + _

10. Librarian activities which have ensured success: • Promotion/awareness raising • Education (formal, informal, one-to-one) • Evaluation of new products • Customise systems with local information (eg • local holdings, document delivery, etc) • Look to future trends & developments eg Web • 2.0 + _

11. Other factors: • Promotion & education efforts of librarians have • ensured good usage statistics allowing justification • for continued existence • Lack of promotion & education = little usage and • potential loss of program • Clinicians were customers of libraries long before • these programs were launched so they have good • knowledge of needs + _

12. Initial arguments for the negative – Gillian Wood • Clinical Information Programs in Australia have succeeded in spite ofof librarian involvement • "History is a set of lies agreed upon.“ – Napoleon • NSW was first (original and best?) and it was • devised as “for clinicians by clinicians” • CIAP as a project gained credibility • because clinicians were running it + _

13. If notion had been mooted by librarians • it would probably have gone nowhere • Initial vision & aims developed by • clinicians • Librarians on board BUT NOT great • influencers • After initial success, other states followed – • lobbying by interstate clinicians to get what their • NSW colleagues had + _

14. Librarians had nothing to do with its • spread to all states and territories • Decisions to emulate NSW came at a much • higher level • Word of mouth and intrinsic value of programs • would have ensured enough usage to ensure • survival without librarians + _

15. "A modest man, who has much to be modest • about." - Winston Churchill on  Clement Atlee • If librarians are such great promoters, why are • there still hundreds of clinicians out there who do • not know about the programs? • Programs have kept libraries alive rather than the • programs prospering because of librarian • involvement + _

16. Back seat drivers are a pain! • "I think we agree, the past is over." - George W. Bush + _

17. Response from the positive – Graham Spooner “The thing about poor old Costello is he is all tip and no iceberg” It “is like being flogged with a warm lettuce” - Paul Keating + _

18. Librarians as evaluators of new • products or upgrades has meant wise • decisions taken re product purchase or • removal • Librarians able to concentrate on meeting • more local/specialised needs for clinicians • has meant better use of funds and better • info for clinicians + _

19. Librarians keep programs on track/aware of • issues such as: • licensing • authentication • statistics monitoring • local nuances • Librarians as Satnavs? + _

20. Response from the negative – Gillian Wood “The little desiccated coconut is under pressure” - Paul Keating "Now, there's a man with an open mind. You can feel the breeze from here."  - Groucho Marx + _

21. Many clinicians are avid users of mobile technologies • & products but most librarians are not experts in • their deployment • Vendors efforts in areas of federated search, • Point-of-Care tools and Electronic Patient Record • more important than any librarian input • Programs have kept libraries alive rather than the • programs prospering because of librarian involvement + _

22. Large amount of home usage (when libraries are • closed) • Clinicians need information at point-of-care - • visiting a library or contacting a librarian is not • feasible • Few librarians are experts in drug information (statistically, one of the highest use products) + _

23. Most states’ programs have a core of products • such as databases, drug info & e-journals – little • expertise is required to know that these are what • clinicians want & need • Librarians have just jumped on the bandwagon • Riding on the coat tails of successful schemes • rather than really having any influence + _

24. Issues we would like to have debated further (if we’d had the time to fully investigate during the preparation of the paper) • National direction • E-Books • Impact of programs on library budgets • Statistics comparisons • Federated search tools • Point-of-care resources • Evaluation of programs • "Will the highways on the Internet become more few?" --George W. Bush, January, 2000

25. The Worm has decided….. Graham average: WINNER + _ Opening remarks Response Gillian average: + _ Opening remarks Response

26. Thanks so much for your support and to Gillian for putting up a great fight

27. Well, this is the sweetest victory of all—this is the sweetest. This is the victory for the true believers, the people who in difficult times have kept the faith … Paul Keating 1993