A Librarian by Any Other Name

The Role of the Informationist on a Medical School Research Team

Presenters

Sally A. Gore, MS, MS LISResearch Librarian & InformationistLamar Soutter LibraryUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School

Mary E. Costanza, MDPrincipal InvestigatorProfessor of MedicineUniversity of Massachusetts Medical School

The Informationist

LibrarianExpert in health information

resources

• Collection development• General reference assistance• Instruction• Searching assistance

InformationistExpert in health information resources and extensive domain knowledge

• Consultation services• Database training• Systematic review• Knowledge management•Writing

These new professionals might be calledinformationists (not a graceful term, but onethat parallels such terms as gastroenterologistsor hospitalists), or clinical knowledge workers(in parallel with social workers).

A Little Historythe big picture

A Little Historyat UMMS

• A Funding Opportunity• A Chance to Expand Service• Finding Collaborators• Making it Happen

The Grant

Promoting Breast Cancer Screening in Non-Adherent Women

A five year (2009-14) clinical research project funded by the National Institutes of Health.

A large controlled trial of women in a local health plan ages 40-84 randomized to 1 of 3 ways to improve getting mammograms regularly every 1-2 years

Promoting Breast Cancer Screening in Non-Adherent Women

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GOAL OF THE STUDY:To assess the cost-effectiveness of each arm in improving:a. Mammogram schedulingb. Mammogram completionc. Self-efficacy in repeating mammogram

• Large data sets to handle• Multiple data sources• Multiple investigators• Confusion among data sources re variable

definitions and names• Need to improve communication among

investigators• Need for categorizing, creating

taxonomies, clarifying data collection inconsistencies

Why an Informationist?The Collaborator’s View

• Grant requirements for an embedded informationist

• Review of ‘mother’ grant needs• Description of informationist’s training and

strengths• Consultations with library seniority• Consultations with co-investigators• Iteration of multiple drafts• Submission of grant application

Writing the Grant Proposalstep one

• Informationist should be a colleague • Share in discussion of progress of ‘mother’

grant • Assist in analyzing data • Participate in writing and publishing team

manuscripts• Meet with team regularly

Writing the Grant ProposalWriting the Grant Proposalstep two

SUCCESS!!

Grant Funding: September 2012 – January 2014Supporting 20% of Informationist’s Time (10 hrs/wk)

We Begin

• Introduce Informationist to team members• Meet with individual key members of team• Participation at weekly team meetings• Review ongoing reports from analyst(s)• Extricate Informationist from on-going

library duties

• UMass Medical School– Family & Community Medicine

• Principal Investigator• Project Director• Scheduler, Counselor Instructor• Administrative Secretary

– Medicine• Principal Investigator• Behavioral Psychologist

– Biostatistics• Biostatistician• Analyst

– Center for Health Policy & Research• Director, Expert in Cost Analysis• Research Assistant

– Library• Informationist

• Fallon Community Health Plan– Claims Data Representative

• Reliant Medical Group– Research Director– Research Coordinator– Site Project Director– Analyst– IT Guru– Chief of Radiology– Phone Counselors– Phone Schedulers– Primary Care Physicians

• Claricode– Programmer

The Team

Progress to Datethe informationist

• AIM 1: Improve effectiveness and efficiency of communication w/in team regarding data

• AIM 2: Articulate technology issues related to implementation of the study

• AIM 3: Enhance information organization, management, utilization, and access skills of team members

• AIM 4: Assess value of an informationist to the research team

Progress to Datethe team

Study began Jan. 2009

• Slowly winning battle with:• tracking system glitches• collating multiple data sources

• miscommunication re variable names and definitions

• 40,000 women on study• 4,500 reminder letters sent• 1,000 Wave 2 “Booster” reminder letters sent

Lessons Learnedso far…

• Need cooperative players• Need buy-in from research team• Earlier imbedding on team to improve research

efforts• Optimum: join team early and help write ‘mother’

grant• Increase covered Informationist’s time• Be realistic about decreasing library commitments

The Future of Informationists

Sally’s ThoughtsGraduate programs MUST change

Research is NOT optional

Soft skills need to be recognized

Role isn’t always for librarians

Mary’s ThoughtsDays of a single PI are over

Complex clinical studies have huge data bases from many data sources

Clear communication among investigators critical

Informationists can provide a team with conceptual cohesion

Hmmmm…