Adapting a health video library for use in Afghanistan: provider-level acceptability and lessons for strengthening operational feasibility.

BACKGROUND: Community health workers (CHWs) in Afghanistan are a critical care extender for primary health services, including reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health (RMNCH) care. However, volunteer CHWs face challenges including an ever-expanding number of tasks and insufficient time to conduct them. We piloted a health video library (HVL) intervention, a tablet-based tool to improve health promotion and counseling by CHWs. We qualitatively assessed provider-level acceptability and operational feasibility. METHODS: CHWs implemented the HVL pilot in three rural districts of Balkh, Herat, and Kandahar provinces. We employed qualitative methods, conducting 47 in-depth interviews (IDIs) with male and female CHWs and six IDIs with community health supervisors. We used semi-structured interview guides to explore provider perceptions of program implementation processes and solicit feedback on how to improve the HVL intervention to inform scale-up. We conducted a thematic analysis. RESULTS: CHWs reported that the HVL increased time efficiencies, reduced work burden, and enhanced professional credibility within their communities. CHWs felt video content and format were accessible for low literacy clients, but also identified challenges to operational feasibility. Although tablets were considered easy-to-use, certain technical issues required continued support from supervisors and family. Charging tablets was difficult due to inconsistent electricity access. Although some CHWs reported reaching most households in their catchment area for visits with the HVL, others were unable to visit all households due to sizeable populations and gender-related barriers, including women's limited mobility. CONCLUSIONS: The HVL was acceptable and feasible for integration into existing CHW duties, indicating it may improve RMNCH counseling, contributing to increased care-seeking behaviors in Afghanistan. Short-term challenges with technology and hardware can be addressed through continued training and provision of solar chargers. Longer-term challenges, including tablet costs, community coverage, and gender issues, require further consideration with an emphasis on equitable distribution.

Evaluation of rural public libraries to address telemedicine inequities.

Access to home-based telemedicine is inequitably distributed in the United States due to the limited reach of fixed broadband in rural areas. Public libraries typically offer patrons free access to broadband. Libraries, particularly those in rural regions, need to be evaluated as sites for patients to connect to a health care provider over a video visit. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the technological readiness of public libraries to provide telemedicine support and to determine differences in readiness between rural and urban public libraries. We distributed a survey to Virginia librarians to evaluate technological readiness of their libraries to support telemedicine. Respondents from 39 libraries completed the survey, approximately one third of which were in rural or small urban areas. All reported fixed broadband, at least four computers, and staff to assist with technology. Eighty-five percent of surveyed libraries reported sufficient broadband speed and a private room available to patrons. There were no significant differences between rural and urban status for any of the library characteristics. Virginia public libraries may have infrastructure necessary to support patrons connecting to telemedicine. Libraries may benefit from systematic guidelines for collaborating with health providers to support telemedicine implementation across geographic and socioeconomically diverse areas.

Public Libraries: A Community-Level Resource to Advance Population Health.

Policy makers and public health practitioners rarely consider public libraries to be part of the health system, even though they possess several characteristics that suggest unrealized potential to advance population health. This scoping review uses an adapted social determinants framework to categorize current health-related work conducted by public libraries in the United States and to discuss libraries' potential as 'meso-level' community resources to improve population health. Our discussion of libraries contributes to scholarship on place-based health disparities, by emphasizing the potential impact of institutions that are modifiable through social policy-e.g., parks, community centers, schools-and which have a conceptually clear or empirically documented relationship to health.

A partnership between academic and public librarians: "What the Health" workshop series.

BACKGROUND: Public librarians are in a unique position to assist the general public with health information inquiries. However, public librarians might not have the training, detailed knowledge, and confidence to provide high-quality health information. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors created and delivered three workshops to public librarians in Suffolk County, New York, highlighting several National Library of Medicine resources. Each workshop focused on a different topic: general consumer health resources, genetics health resources, and environmental/toxicology resources. At the end of each workshop, participants were asked to complete the Training Session Evaluation form provided by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM). All participants reported that they learned a new skill or about a new tool, that their ability to locate online health information improved, and that they planned to use the knowledge they gained in the future. Online tutorials covering the major resources from each workshop were created and made accessible to the public on several organizations' websites. Virtual reference services were initiated for public librarians who need further assistance with these resources and will continue to be provided on an ongoing basis. Financial support for the equipment and software utilized in each of these tasks was awarded by NNLM. CONCLUSIONS: Based on attendance and participant feedback, this model of health information outreach appears to have been successful in furthering the educational needs of public librarians and may be useful to others in creating a similar program in their communities.

Living libraries: Nurse integration in interprofessional homeless health care team.

BACKGROUND: Despite an increase in national health care service utilization, entry into the health care system remains inequitable. This disparity in health care access disproportionately affects those experiencing homelessness. Because the homeless population faces significant financial and nonfinancial barriers, health care system engagement with these individuals must be reconsidered. OBJECTIVE: This article will describe the piloting of an interprofessional model within an urban library to address barriers to health care access that homeless individuals face. DESIGN: The library's unique status as a community hub presents an opportunity for partnership in addressing this population's health care access issues. This community-based model is the first recorded to utilize three distinct professions-nursing, social work, and library science-in a public library. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of this pilot project resulted in a high retention rate of referrals to community health services for those unstably housed and facilitated a system of warm transfers. Although opportunities to improve generalizability exist, this initiative sets the stage for discussion around co-location of health and social services in a nontraditional community-based setting to achieve equitable access to health care.

Provision of consumer health information in Alberta's Rural Public Libraries.

BACKGROUND: Access to health services is a major challenge in many rural communities within Canada. Rural public libraries can serve as centres for health resources. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this exploratory study was to analyse the manner in which Alberta's rural libraries provide health information to their patrons. METHODS: A questionnaire including closed ended and open ended questions was sent to the 285 rural libraries across the Canadian province of Alberta. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis techniques were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: The findings indicate that in three quarters of Alberta's rural libraries, about 10% of requests for assistance were related to health issues. The provision of health information in these libraries is hampered by the lack of Internet, private space for reference interviews, and staff and volunteer training. Library staff members were inexperienced in conducting reference transactions and reported lacking confidence in meeting patrons' needs and ethical standards. DISCUSSION: Addressing these challenges will require the recruitment of more qualified librarians in rural library systems, possibly through incentive measures, and a comprehensive education and training programme for both staff and volunteers combined with the necessary resource support for the rural libraries. CONCLUSION: When human and material resources are adequate, rural libraries can contribute to improving the health literacy of their communities.

Public Libraries As Partners for Health.

INTRODUCTION: Public libraries are free and accessible to all and are centers of community engagement and education, making them logical choices as partners for improving population health. Library staff members routinely assist patrons with unmet health and social needs. METHODS: We used a 100-question, self-administered web survey sent to all library directors listed in the Pennsylvania Library Association database (N = 621), to investigate staff interactions with library patrons to address social determinants of health. We conducted statistical comparisons of quantitative responses and a content analysis of open-ended responses. RESULTS: Respondents (N = 262) reported frequently interacting with patrons around health and social concerns - well beyond those related to literacy and education - including help with employment (94%), nutrition (70%), exercise (66%), and social welfare benefits (51%). Acute emergencies were not uncommon in Pennsylvania's public libraries, with nearly 12% of respondents having witnessed a drug overdose at the library in the past year. Most respondents felt that their professional training left them inadequately prepared to assist patrons with health and social issues. Although at least 40% of respondents offered some health programming at their library branch, their offerings did not meet the high level of need reflected in common patron inquiries. CONCLUSION: The challenges library staff members experience in meeting their patrons' information needs suggest opportunities for public libraries to advance population health. Library staff members need additional training and resources and collaboration with public health and health care institutions to respond to community needs through effective, evidence-based public health programming.

Health Libraries Group Conference 2018.

It's conference time again! There is an exciting programme in prospect in this year's biennial Health Libraries Group (#HLG2018) conference covering key elements of library and information workers' daily practice. Uppermost in everyone's mind is the importance of ongoing personal and professional development with the Health Libraries Group Continuing Professional Development Panel putting this into practice as they host regional peer support sessions for presenters in the period leading up to the conference. As the official journal of the Health Libraries Group, the Health Information and Libraries Journal is similarly keen to support presenters in the practical task of translating their presentations into papers. Do get in touch if you would like advice on what to do next.

Development and Dissemination of the El Centro Health Disparities Measures Library.

PURPOSE: This report describes the development and dissemination of a library of English measures, with Spanish translations, on constructs relevant to social determinants of health and behavioral health outcomes. The El Centro Measures Library is a product of the Center of Excellence for Health Disparities Research: El Centro, a program funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The library is aimed at enhancing capacity for minority health and health disparities research, particularly for Hispanics living in the United States and abroad. DESIGN: The open-access library of measures (available through www.miami.edu/sonhs/measureslibrary) contains brief descriptions of each measure, scoring information (where available), links to related peer-reviewed articles, and measure items in both languages. Links to measure websites where commercially available measures can be purchased are included, as is contact information for measures that require author permission. Links to several other measures libraries are hosted on the library website. Other researchers may contribute to the library. METHODS: El Centro investigators began the library by electing to use a common set of measures across studies to assess demographic information, culture-related variables, proximal outcomes of interest, and major outcomes. The collection was expanded to include other health disparity research studies. In 2012, a formal process was developed to organize, expand, and centralize the library in preparation for a gradual process of dissemination to the national and international community of researchers. FINDINGS: The library currently contains 61 measures encompassing 12 categories of constructs. Thus far, the library has been accessed 8,883 times (unique page views as generated by Google Analytics), and responses from constituencies of users and measure authors have been favorable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: With the paucity of availability and accessibility of translated measures, behavioral nursing research focused on reducing health disparities can benefit from repositories of research instruments such as the El Centro Measures Library.

Evolution of an academic-public library partnership.

A partnership to improve access to health information via an urban public library system was established in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2011. A multiyear project was outlined that included an information needs assessment, a training class for public library staff, information kiosks at library branches for delivering printed consumer health materials, and a series of health-related programming. The partnership evolved to include social service and community organizations to carry out project goals and establish a sustainable program that met the health and wellness interests of the community.

Leisure reading collections in academic health sciences and science libraries: results of visits to seven libraries.

OBJECTIVE: To visit leisure reading collections in academic science and health sciences libraries to determine how they function and what role they play in their libraries. METHODS: The author visited seven libraries with leisure reading collections and carried out a semistructured interview with those responsible either for selection of materials or for the establishment of the collection. RESULTS: These collections contained a variety of materials, with some libraries focusing on health-science-related materials and others on providing recreational reading. The size of the collections also varied, from 186 to 9700 books, with corresponding differences in budget size. All collections were housed apart, with the same loan period as the regular collection. No collections contained electronic materials. Although there was little comparable statistical data on usage, at the six libraries at which active selection was occurring, librarians and library staff felt that the collection was well used and felt that it provided library users with benefits such as stress relief and relaxation and exposure to other perspectives. CONCLUSION: Librarians and library staff at the libraries that undertook active selection felt that their leisure reading collection was worthwhile. It would be interesting for future work to focus on the user experience of such collections.

Evaluating the WISE (Women in the South-East) Telehealth Network: A Model of Healthcare and Health Promotion at Rural Libraries.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the WISE (Women in the South-East) Telehealth Network. DESIGN: A follow-up survey design was used to determine the impact of the program on access to healthcare. SETTING: WISE provided preventive care to women and gender expansive people at local libraries and the Mobile Library in the rural South Carolina Lowcountry. SUBJECTS: In 1 year (February 2021-2022), WISE reached 523 individuals with 151 agreeing to participate in the study. Most participants identified as white (66%) or Black (22%). INTERVENTION: A Community Health Worker provided health education, connection to telehealth services, referrals, and connected individuals with community and social services. MEASURES: The Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), changes in knowledge, satisfaction with WISE, Acceptability of Intervention measure (AIM), and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Participants with a high telehealth usability score were significantly more likely to be under the age of 35 (OR 4.60 [95% CI 1.21-17.52]), married (OR 10.00 [95% CI 2.19-45.64]), or white (OR 4.00 [95% CI 1.06-15.08]). The intervention earned a high acceptability score 4.46 (± .61)/5.0 by helping participants obtain necessary medical care and resources, as well as meeting their educational needs. CONCLUSION: This study offers practical suggestions to expand the use of telehealth initiatives to improve health outcomes by engaging libraries in rural communities.

Discrete particle swarm optimization with scout particles for library materials acquisition.

Materials acquisition is one of the critical challenges faced by academic libraries. This paper presents an integer programming model of the studied problem by considering how to select materials in order to maximize the average preference and the budget execution rate under some practical restrictions including departmental budget, limitation of the number of materials in each category and each language. To tackle the constrained problem, we propose a discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) with scout particles, where each particle, represented as a binary matrix, corresponds to a candidate solution to the problem. An initialization algorithm and a penalty function are designed to cope with the constraints, and the scout particles are employed to enhance the exploration within the solution space. To demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed DPSO, a series of computational experiments are designed and conducted. The results are statistically analyzed, and it is evinced that the proposed DPSO is an effective approach for the studied problem.

Shaping partnerships by doing the work.

Partnership as an ordinary, everyday way of doing business within Saint Paul Parks and Recreation (P&R) has often been limited to working with individuals, groups, or agencies through a contract, generally to provide fee-based programs or services. This approach does not encourage new ways of thinking about or working with other organizations on a common purpose or service. Other partnership approaches are necessary to bring innovation to this work. These must allow and foster space for joint negotiation, for ways to meet needs and wants of both organizations and their missions, and focus on meeting community needs.

Growing a miracle in Kenya.

A Kenyan woman, a retired nurse, and a nurse executive in America are miraculously led together to start a library in Kima, Kenya. Small beginnings grow into the Heather May-MashoodAbiola Children's Resource Centre (HEMAMA). Named after two infant children lost by the Kenyan woman and the nurse executive, HEMAMA is making a difference in the lives of children in the Kima, Kenya community.

An evaluation of a Books on Prescription scheme in a UK public library authority.

This article discusses an evaluation of a Books on Prescription (BOP) scheme in a UK public library authority. The research was carried out by Rebecca Furness and submitted as a dissertation for the MSc Information and Library Management to Northumbria University. The dissertation was supervised by Biddy Casselden at Northumbria University and was awarded a distinction. The dissertation identified areas for development for BOP schemes and made specific recommendations that could make the schemes more accessible, enabling significant numbers of people to lead more fulfilling lives. Because this study focuses on mental health and the role that UK public libraries have in supporting well-being, it is a good illustration of the wide-ranging nature of subjects welcomed for the Dissertations into practice feature.