title: Evaluating information prescriptions in two clinical environments.
abstract: The research sought to evaluate whether providing personalized information services by libraries can improve satisfaction with information services for specific types of patients.
  
  
  
  Adult breast cancer (BrCa) clinic patients and mothers of inpatient neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients were randomized to receive routine information services (control) or an IRx intervention.
  
  
  
  The BrCa trial randomized 211 patients and the NICU trial, 88 mothers. The BrCa trial showed no statistically significant differences in satisfaction ratings between the treatment and control groups. The IRx group in the NICU trial reported higher satisfaction than the control group regarding information received about diagnosis, treatments, respiratory tradeoffs, and medication tradeoffs. BrCa patients posed questions to librarians more frequently than did NICU mothers, and a higher percentage reported using the website. Questions asked of the librarians by BrCa patients were predominantly clinical and focused on the areas of treatment and side effects.
  
  
  
  Study results provide some evidence to support further efforts to both implement information prescription projects in selected settings and to conduct additional research on the costs and benefits of services.
authors.affiliation: National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region, New York University Langone Medical Center,New York, NY 10010, USA. kate.oliver@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen Burr
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Harold P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Antonio C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Laurie W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Pamela K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Donohue
authors.forename: Maureen M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gilmore
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Craven
authors.forename: Nancy K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Roderer
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D007993:Libraries, Medical; D009035:Mothers; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction