Health Sciences Librarians’ Instructional Engagement in Continuing Education: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Objective: Health professionals have an ongoing need for continuing education (CE). Health Science Librarians (HSLs) are accustomed to support the learning needs of others in a variety of contexts and are well situated to provide CE. To better understand the current extent of these activities, we undertook a scoping review to determine how HSLs instruct practicing clinicians and health sciences faculty in support of their CE. Methods: We searched for published and unpublished literature. Sources included PubMed (NCBI), Embase (Elsevier); Dissertations and Theses (ProQuest); Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Full Text (EBSCO); Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (EBSCO); and Library Literature and Information Science Full Text (EBSCO). To identify unpublished sources, we searched Google and contacted two health sciences library listservs. Results: The included sources were published between 1970 to 2021 and covered a range of topics. Those related to evidence based practice (EBP) appeared around 2001 and bibliometrics and bioinformatics arose after 2016. HSLs teaching CE most commonly occurred in academic settings. The most common population taught was nurses, followed by physicians. Most sources did not report using an information literacy framework or instructional design model, undertaking needs assessments, or reporting formal objectives or assessment. Conclusion: While HSLs are active supporters of EBP, we need to apply the same principles to our own professional practice. Formal structure of programming and program assessment combined with clear, detailed reporting can help to build a more robust evidence base to support future CE provision.