Ensuring access to consumer health information pamphlets at Capital Health

Abstract

Program objective – The objective of the program was to create a catalogue of patient education pamphlets and provide a stable in-house platform for the database that is sustainable with current staff resources. Rationale – Capital Health has an excellent selection of more than 1000 pamphlets specifically for patients. These pamphlets need to be accessible from the Internet, and they need to be housed on a Capital Health Web page. Main components – The main components were cataloguing the content, designing a user-friendly Web page, ensuring ongoing cataloguing is sustainable, and educating users. Setting – Capital Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Participants – Eleanor King, Patient Education Coordinator, Capital Health; Myrna Lawson, Library Technician; Penny Logan, Manager Library Services; Pearl Murphy, Web Coordinator; Boyd Sharpe, Systems Analyst; Deb Cameron, Graphic Designer. Program – The program was to ensure Web access to patient pamphlets. Results – 679 patient pamphlets were catalogued and presented on a user-friendly Web page in a searchable database that is controlled in-house and that can easily be kept up-to-date with current staff and systems. Conclusion – Library software and expertise can be used for more than just a catalogue of books and journals. By using already-available software and expertise, maintaining the pamphlets database can be accommodated without additional expense.