Mine the Gap! Adding a Clinical Librarian to Neurology Consult Rounding to Address Knowledge Gaps

Studies have shown that as many as 15 to 20 questions per day go unanswered as a clinician sees patients. The clinical librarians at the Eccles Health Sciences Library (EHSL) aimed to address this issue by partnering with the Neurology Consult Service and joining clinical rounds to provide evidence for any clinical questions that arise around patient care care in order to bridge clinical knowledge gaps and provide up to date clinically relevant peer reviewed evidence-based resources. The clinical librarians join the clinical rounding team comprised of an attending, residents, and student physicians 2-3 times weekly and send emails to the rounding team with search strategies, a summary of the evidence, and relevant PDFs. The librarians have seen successful uptake with over 180 questions answered during the first year of the service. Responses include information to answer questions about diagnoses, medication choices, prognosis, and side effects. Team and patient-based feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and the responses sent have helped provide evidence-based care for the patients. The questions collected have also allowed librarians to present at Neurology Grand Rounds on knowledge gaps that could be addressed in the Neurology curriculum. Identified knowledge gaps were also presented at a department-wide educational conference highlighting areas to address in neurology resident program curriculum.