UC San Diego Biomedical Library, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, 0699, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
BMC Med Educ. 2013 Sep 4;13:119. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-13-119.
To conduct a systematic assessment of library and informatics training at accredited Western U.S. medical schools. To provide a structured description of core practices, detect trends through comparisons across institutions, and to identify innovative training approaches at the medical schools.
Action research study pursued through three phases. The first phase used inductive analysis on reported library and informatics skills training via publicly-facing websites at accredited medical schools and the academic health sciences libraries serving those medical schools. Phase Two consisted of a survey of the librarians who provide this training to undergraduate medical education students at the Western U.S. medical schools. The survey revealed gaps in forming a complete picture of current practices, thereby generating additional questions that were answered through the Phase Three in-depth interviews.
Publicly-facing websites reviewed in Phase One offered uneven information about library and informatics training at Western U.S. medical schools. The Phase Two survey resulted in a 77% response rate. The survey produced a clearer picture of current practices of library and informatics training. The survey also determined the readiness of medical students to pass certain aspects of the United States Medical Licensure Exam. Most librarians interacted with medical school curricular leaders through either curricula committees or through individual contacts. Librarians averaged three (3) interventions for training within the four-year curricula with greatest emphasis upon the first and third years. Library/informatics training was integrated fully into the respective curricula in almost all cases. Most training involved active learning approaches, specifically within Problem-Based Learning or Evidence-Based Medicine contexts. The Phase Three interviews revealed that librarians are engaged with the medical schools' curricular leaders, they are respected for their knowledge and teaching skills, and that they need to continually adapt to changes in curricula.
This study offers a long overdue, systematic view of current practices of library/informatics training at Western U.S. medical schools. Medical educators, particularly curricular leaders, will find opportunities in this study's results for more productive collaborations with the librarians responsible for library and informatics training at their medical schools.
对美国西部认可的医学院的图书馆和信息学培训进行系统评估。提供核心实践的结构化描述，通过机构间比较发现趋势，并确定医学院的创新培训方法。
通过三个阶段进行行动研究。第一阶段通过对认可的医学院和为这些医学院服务的学术健康科学图书馆的公开网站上报告的图书馆和信息学技能培训进行归纳分析。第二阶段包括对为美国西部医学院本科医学教育学生提供这种培训的图书馆员进行调查。该调查揭示了形成当前实践全貌的差距，从而通过第三阶段的深入访谈回答了其他问题。
第一阶段审查的公开网站提供了美国西部医学院图书馆和信息学培训的信息参差不齐。第二阶段的调查回复率为 77%。该调查更清楚地描绘了当前图书馆和信息学培训的实践情况。该调查还确定了医学生通过美国医师执照考试某些方面的准备情况。大多数图书馆员通过课程委员会或个人联系与医学院课程负责人互动。图书馆员在四年课程中平均进行三次（3）培训干预，重点放在第一年和第三年。图书馆/信息学培训几乎在所有情况下都完全纳入各自的课程。大多数培训都涉及主动学习方法，特别是在基于问题的学习或循证医学背景下。第三阶段的访谈显示，图书馆员与医学院的课程负责人保持联系，他们因其知识和教学技能而受到尊重，并且需要不断适应课程的变化。
本研究提供了对美国西部医学院图书馆/信息学培训当前实践的长期以来一直需要的系统观点。医学教育者，特别是课程负责人，将在本研究的结果中找到与负责其医学院图书馆和信息学培训的图书馆员进行更富有成效的合作的机会。
