serendipity in a survey: nhs staff tell us what they really think about e-journals hannah prince...
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Serendipity in a survey: NHS staff tell us what they really
think about e-journals
Hannah PrinceEast of England Health Libraries Group
The e-journals
• 2008: East of England NHS libraries’ Journals Project: 71 titles + Proquest collections
• National titles: BMJ, AMA and Ebsco
• 2009: Business case needed for continuation of funding for East of England titles
The survey
• Used Surveymonkey (full subscription)
• 27th July to 24th August 2009
• £20 Amazon voucher prizedraw (said 3, more awarded)
• Advertised by local librarians: emails, posters, inserts in journal print-outs
• Some libraries gave out paper copies
Please choose your professional group from the list below.
In the past year, have you used your NHS Athens password to get an article from an online journal?
To which of the following did information you read in online journals contribute?Please choose as many as applicable.
If you didn’t use your NHS Athens password to get access to an online journal this year, why not? Please choose as many as applicable.
Can you think of an example where online access to a journal article contributed to your work or professional development? Please tell us about it:
Do you have any other comments about online access to journal articles? If so, please enter them here.
Questions
Results
• First day: 488 responses• First week: 1436 responses• End of survey: 2365 online, 32 paper• = around 10% of Athens accounts in EoE• 1793 respondents supplied organisation or email
address to enter prize draw• 1641 respondents entered a comment in one or
more of the free-text fields• 29 organisations represented, spread fairly
evenly around the SHA region.
Professional group
Used Athens to access journal
To which of the following did information you read in online journal articles contribute? (Please choose as many as applicable)
Preparing a business case: 9.6%
Preparing for an exam: 16.2%
Presenting to an external meeting: 20.8%
Giving information to a patient or carer: 21.9%
Reviewing a departmental procedure: 22.1%
Conducting a systematic review: 23.4%
Conducting an audit: 23.5%
Making a decision about a specific patient: 33.1%
Conducting a research project: 33.9%
Completing coursework: 36.7%
Presenting to a department or internal meeting: 40.5%
Teaching: 50.3%Keeping up to date: 74.9%
If you didn’t use your NHS Athens password to get access to an online journal this year, why not?
(Please choose as many as applicable)
Asked a colleague to print articles for me to read: 7%
Used a password from another organisation: 7.9%
Couldn’t get an NHS Athens password: 12.1%
Asked a librarian to print articles for me to read: 12.4%
Didn’t know I could: 30.4%
Didn’t need to read a journal article online: 40.6%
Course assignment / reading list 376
Clinical practice in general / making decisions about a group of patients 302
Keeping up to date 204
Making decisions about a specific patient 156
Internal presentation or meeting (including journal clubs) 120
Reviewing a procedure, protocol or guideline 118
General research 110
Teaching 102
Writing an article 80
Giving information to colleagues / seniors 80
Management / leadership / medicolegal work / commissioning 65
Innovation / introducing a new procedure 57
Audit 56
Information for a patient or carer (including writing leaflets) 42
External presentation or conference 35
Exam preparation 23
Preparing a business case 20
Systematic review 11
Job interview or appraisal 10
Confidence / attitudinal effect 9
Purposes for which an example was given
Positive comments 1• Speed of access and time saved
– including freeing up time so more reading is possible
• Geographical access: – at a work site distant from the library, off-site at home
or away
• Time of access:– when the library is closed, at the most convenient
time to work, when other information resources aren’t available, when others are using same journal
• Ease of use:– including the capacity to skim-read several articles
and choose which to print to read in detail
Positive comments 2
• More up to date than paper (e- ahead of print)
• Ability to manipulate the format – e.g. using images in a presentation or sharing with
colleagues
• Saving money / environment
• Greater quantity or range of material available than a library could keep in print
Negative comments
• 54 out of 1477 in question 5; more in question 6• More journals wanted:
– in general, in own field, specific journal title • Lots of misunderstandings
– which journals subscribed, split between databases and journals, nature of Athens, have to pay for full text
• Ease of access– Searching difficulties, which articles are full text,
password difficulties• Embargoes• Slow internet
Non-users
• 45% added comments:
• Positive: just hadn’t used this year, or used university / other access
• Negative: similar issues to other negative commenters
• Most not anti e-journals
What did we learn?
• People are willing to give detailed responses to e-journal surveys
• A substantial number of NHS staff in the East of England find e-journals useful for their practice as well as their learning
• Many people have difficulties using authentication and publisher interfaces, and appreciate librarians’ help
What can we do with it?
• Bid for funding…
• Plan training
• Plan publicity / marketing
• Make purchasing decisions
• Talk to publishers?
• Repeat and compare?
• Ideas welcome…
• tHIS IS ONE THE BEST THINGS TO HAPPEN TO nhs PROFESSIONALS
• Sometimes they are so very frustrating! • I live in rural norfolk, limited access to library facilities,
nearest nursing library is more than 30 miles/60mins drive away, it's invaluable!
• i love the idea but keep forgetting how to use athens, update sessions would be great.
• Rapid access to information about the swine flu pandemic – for planning research, publication of a paper, and developing departmental guidelines.
“Numerous times I have required to access a journal immediately to inform my clinical decision making when I have had a patient in clinic.” (AHP)
“I was able to decide on use of a certain medication during operation in theatre ………” (Junior Doctor)
“Everyday, because of the rarity of the conditions we work with, we access journals to get the most up to date evidence and information …….” (Consultant)
“Recently saw a patient with C1 esterase deficiency for theatre next morning. Reviewed the case report and a review on the topic before operating next day ……..” (Junior Doctor)
“It has proved invaluable in keeping up to date and checking references to support clinicians to develop guidance and service standards.” (Manager/Admin)
“I really could not have reviewed the literature thoroughly and in good time for a recent major conference presentation without E access.” (Consultant)
“Real time access to the article enables me to progress the line of inquiry in a more efficient way as this type of work is done out of hours – at desk / home” (Manager/Admin)
“… in clinical work it is good to ‘browse’ articles to get a background feel on a subject …… paper copy only ordering would be too large a quantity, and may include some that turn out to not be that relevant. It is much better to be independent and have access at home and out of work hours for keeping up to date as realisticly there is not enough time at work.” (AHP)
“Remote access to a variety of journals has been invaluable in a job where I am based in different places during the week.” (Junior Doctor)
“In addition to my midwifery role I am also a counsellor in reproductive health. I am able to access psychology/mental health journals which are not held in my hospital library.” (Nurse/Midwife/Health Visitor)