Government-supported clinical knowledge and information resource portals: how does western Victoria fair?

Abstract

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to describe Australia’s government-supported clinical knowledge and information resource portals and their alignment with government policies for digital health within an Australian context, and to clarify the role of hospital libraries in the public health system as an adjunct to state and territory portals. Population/setting: The Australian context. Methods: Government supported clinical resource portals in Australian states and territories were examined and benchmarked. A comprehensive search of Australian state, territory, and federal government websites was conducted for strategies, policies, and projects relating to medical research, digital health, and health workforce education. These documents were screened for reference to clinical knowledge and information resource portals, clinical decision support tools, hospital libraries, or educational resources for the health workforce. Additionally, information was derived from relevant published Australian studies to provide context and additional information about access to evidence in public hospitals. Results/findings: There are inconsistencies in these portals due to differences in policy, funding, and strategy between Australia’s states and territories. Libraries in the healthcare sector play a key role in ensuring centralised clinical knowledge and information resource portals are easily available to clinicians, and by building on the initial portal collection to curate bespoke library collections for their individual organisations. Conclusion: This investigation highlights the importance of government-supported clinical knowledge and information resource portals and the role they play in the provision of safe, quality, evidence-based health care. These portals, in conjunction with hospital library activities, are an integral part of the clinical governance framework. Translational impact/implications for future practice: Without access to a breadth of evidence-based resources clinicians will be limited in their ability to perform their roles and this will adversely impact the cost and quality of healthcare for Australians. This is of significance to those in the south-west and Grampians region of Victoria as Victoria has the least amount of resources state wide and many hospitals in this region do not have access to library services for supplementary resources.